General
ossified
What does ossified mean?
Extremely drunk; the joke is that the liquor has turned you to bone, leaving you rigid and immovable.
"He drank until he was ossified and slid right off the bar stool."
Origin
1920s American slang playing on the literal verb 'ossify' (to turn to bone). Catalogued among the Prohibition-era drunk-words documented by H.L. Mencken in The American Language and contemporary newspaper glossaries.
Frequently asked questions
What does ossified mean in 1920s slang?
It means very drunk, with the humorous image of being turned stiff as bone by alcohol.
Does ossified have a normal meaning too?
Yes. To ossify literally means to harden into bone, and figuratively to become rigid or set in one's ways. The slang sense puns on that stiffness.
Is ossified period-accurate Jazz Age slang?
Yes, it is one of the well-documented Prohibition-era synonyms for intoxication.
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