Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Intoxicated; drunk.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Tight; tipsy; drunk.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Slang Somewhat intoxicated; tipsy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective UK slightly drunk or intoxicated; tipsy
  • adjective Crooked, askew; awry

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective very drunk

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of skew-whiff, askew + –y.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Unknown, possibly coined in the 19th century

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Examples

Comments

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  • According to @DarenBBC it is enough alcohol to be silly, red cheeked, but dizzy, but NOT pissed.

    January 1, 2009

  • "'Fetch me some brandy, will you, Tom?'

    Tom looked dubious.

    'I think you oughtn't to drink brandy whilst being leeched, me lord. Might be as the little fellows would get squiffy and fall off afore they've quite done.'

    'What an excellent idea. Get me brandy, Tom, and get a lot of it. Now.'"

    —Diana Gabaldon, Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (New York: Delacorte Press, 2007), 372

    May 5, 2009

  • "'I would have you know I was perfectly safe in that hive. It was only when I left that things went all'—she waved a hand airily—'squiffy'."

    Soulless by Gail Carriger, p 105

    November 8, 2010