How do you use "Half-cut" in a sentence?

I was half-cut by the time we got to the restaurant. He's always half-cut by Sunday lunch. Don't mind him, he's half-cut.

Half-cut

Q: What does "Half-cut" mean?

Fairly drunk; moderately intoxicated. Half-cut suggests you're partway through the drinking process—not sober but not completely gone. Despite the 'half,' it usually means fairly drunk. It's British understatement—if someone admits to being half-cut, they're probably more than halfway.

Slang Term BritishAustralian ★★★☆☆ Moderate Casual

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Meaning: Fairly drunk; moderately intoxicated.

相当醉；中度醉酒。

Bastante borracho; moderadamente ebrio.

かなり酔っている。中程度に酩酊した状態。

꽤 취한. 중간 정도로 취한 상태.

Half-cut suggests you're partway through the drinking process—not sober but not completely gone. Despite the 'half,' it usually means fairly drunk. It's British understatement—if someone admits to being half-cut, they're probably more than halfway.

Half-cut暗示你在喝酒过程中走了一半——不是清醒但也没完全醉倒。虽说是'一半'，但实际上通常意味着相当醉了。这是典型的英式轻描淡写——如果有人承认自己half-cut，他们大概已经醉了大半了。

Half-cut sugiere que estás a medio camino del proceso de beber: no sobrio, pero no completamente ido. A pesar del 'half' (mitad), normalmente significa bastante borracho. Es un ejemplo de la subestimación británica: si alguien admite estar half-cut, probablemente está más que a medias.

Half-cutは飲酒の途中段階を示唆します。シラフではないが完全に酔いつぶれてもいない状態です。「半分」とはいえ、実際にはかなり酔っていることが多いです。イギリス的な控えめ表現で、本人がhalf-cutだと認めている場合、おそらく半分以上酔っています。

Half-cut은 음주 과정의 중간쯤이라는 뜻으로, 맨정신은 아니지만 완전히 나가떨어진 것도 아니다. 'Half(절반)'이란 말에도 불구하고 보통 꽤 취한 상태를 의미한다. 영국식 절제된 표현으로, 누군가 자신이 half-cut이라고 인정하면 실제로는 절반 이상 취한 것이다.

Examples

I was half-cut by the time we got to the restaurant.
到餐厅的时候我已经相当醉了
Ya estaba bastante borracho cuando llegamos al restaurante
レストランに着く頃にはかなり酔っていた
식당에 도착할 때쯤에는 꽤 취해 있었다.
He's always half-cut by Sunday lunch.
他每次周日午饭前都已经醉了
Siempre está bastante borracho para la hora del almuerzo del domingo
彼は日曜のランチまでにいつもかなり酔っている
그는 일요일 점심때면 항상 꽤 취해 있어.
Don't mind him, he's half-cut.
别介意他，他喝多了
No le hagas caso, está medio borracho
気にしないで、彼はかなり酔っているから
신경 쓰지 마, 그 사람 꽤 취한 거야.

Pronunciation

/hɑːf kʌt/

Usage Guide

Context: drinking, pub, social

Tone: understated, British

✓ Do Say

Half-cut
相当醉了
Bastante borracho
かなり酔っている
꽤 취한
A bit half-cut
有点醉了
Un poco borracho
ちょっと酔っている
좀 취한
Getting half-cut
越来越醉
Poniéndose borracho
酔ってきた
취해 가는

Common Mistakes

Despite 'half,' usually means fairly drunk
British understatement—'half-cut' = moderately to quite drunk

Origin & History

Possibly from the idea of being half 'cut up' or incapacitated. It's been British slang since the early 20th century. The 'half' is typically understatement—British speakers tend to downplay their intoxication.

Etymology: Possibly from being half incapacitated

First recorded: Early 20th century

Cultural Context

Era: Early 20th century onwards

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: British drinking culture

Regional notes: British and Australian usage.

Variations

Half-cutA bit half-cut