Drunk as a skunk

[cateyes1]

I just heard this. what does that mean?  I didn't know that skunks drank much less get drunk 

[meg0694]

I think it may be more of a ryhming thing!  LOL  I have heard this before but never understood it either.

[pattersondebra]

It's just a rhyming thing.

[musicbrokers]

Could be that the person is also "stinking", as in "stinking drunk"

[msmoneybags48]

Here is my assertion to "drunk as a skunk".  A person can be so drunk that he stinks, like a skunk.  I have heard of "pissy drunk", where you were so drunk you pissed all over yourself.  I found other words; enebriated, toasted, sloppy drunk, etc.

[mjdoug03]

I think it's because skunks are clumsy.  Maybe?

[jonhall37]

pretty much how i felt this last weekend lol...

[jenniferhoder]

I think it's just a rhyming thing too.... I have been there before!!! Lol

[mperez7372]

I think it is just rhyming, as well.  Like Nervous Nellie.  I don't think all Nellies are nervous.  Its just alliteration.

[lvstephanie]

Aside from the obvious rhyme, I've heard of 4 reasons for the origin of this expression; a couple of them no one has mentioned yet... 1) A person is so drunk that their hygiene is effected to the point that the person stinks (they've drank so much that they haven't showered for a few days, have pissed in their pants, have their breath smell of booze, or have puked on themselves). 2) A person is so drunk that they tend to wander when they walk instead of walk in a straight line. Skunks too tend to waddle and wander more than walk in a straight line. 3) Skunks like to consume sour mash (esp. corn mash) so some moonshiners have reported having to rescue (if they're still alive) skunks found trapped in tills and other areas of their operation. Finally 4) "stink" can also mean disgusting or offensive in general, not necessarily the odor. So similarly to how a person can be described as "stinking rich" (meaning they are so rich it's disgusting), saying that their "job stinks", or is "stinking drunk". Thus it wouldn't take much to use the word "skunk" to refer to something that is "stinky", esp. with the obvious rhyme to the word "drunk" (I'm tending to believe that this is the true origin, ad the others are more of a backward etymology of the phrase).