Thursday, December 31, 2015

Sir Richard Has Taken Off His Considering Cap

New Year’s Eve is associated with many things; the ball dropping in Time’s Square, a kiss as the countdown ends, singing Auld Lang Syne, making resolutions, and of course imbibing too much alcohol. The last item is the one that has most come to epitomize the day and mindless drunkenness will be prevalent throughout the land tonight.

There are many labels for the advanced state of inebriation that many will proudly achieve tonight. One of my favorites is “knee walking drunk” which is oft employed (and occasionally personified) by one Brian “Saint Paul” Ward. Another is “over served” which seems to place responsibility for one’s intoxication on another actor. If it wasn’t for that meddling bartender who kept pushing drinks my way. I’ve witnessed this sort of projection first hand when neighbors seek to explain their over indulgence by blaming it solely on the two cocktails they consumed at our basement bar. Yeah, that was it. It wasn’t the six drinks you had before that or the five afterward.

Anyway, it’s always fun to try to come up with new ways to indicate that someone has had one or thirteen too many. And sometimes the best source for new material is mining the past.

Today’s WSJ has a sampling of from “The Drinker’s Dictionary” in the Pennsylvania Gazette, published by Benjamin Franklin, Jan. 13, 1737:

A: He is Addled, He’s casting up his Accounts, He’s Afflicted

B: He’s Biggy, Been at Barbadoes, Drunk as a Wheel-Barrow

C: Cherry Merry, Half Way to Concord, Sir Richard has taken off his Considering Cap

D: Kill’d his Dog, Has Dipp’d his Bill, He’s seen the Devil

E: He’s Prince Eugene, Wet both Eyes, Got a brass Eye

F: He’s Fishey, Crump Footed, Been to France, His Flag is out

G: Groatable, Been before George, Globular, Got the Glanders

H: Half and Half, Top Heavy, Hammerish, Loose in the Hilts

I: He’s Intoxicated

J: Jambled, Going to Jerusalem, Been to Jerico, Juicy

K: The King is his Cousin, Got Kib’d Heels, Knapt, Het his Kettle

L: Lordly, Light, Lappy, Limber

M: He sees two Moons, Mountous, Muddy, Rais’d his Monuments

N: He’s eat the Cocoa Nut, Nimptopsical, Got the Night Mare

O: He’s Oil’d, Smelt of an Onion, Oxycrocium, Overset

P: Priddy, Has scalt his Head Pan, Been among the Philistines, In his Prosperity

Q: He’s Quarrelsome

R: Raddled, Lost his Rudder, Been too free with Sir Richard, Like a Rat in Trouble

S: In the Sudds, Swampt, as Stiff as a Ring-bolt, Staggerish, Stew’d, Has Sold his Senses

T: Tongue-ty’d, Topsey Turvey, Has Swallow’d a Tavern Token, He’s Thawed, He’s Trammel’d

V: He makes Virginia Fence, Valiant, Got the Indian Vapours

W: He’s wise, He’s been to the Salt Water, He’s very Weary


Feel free to use your favorites this evening and tomorrow morning to describe the state of your friends, family, strangers, or even yourself. But please, don’t blame the bartender.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

HWX: A Merry Candidate Christmas


It’s a very special Tuesday night edition of HWX, with Brian Ward and Paul Happe reconvening to discuss the crucial issues of the day. Topics addressed include:
  • Santa Claus is coming to town! Should he be concerned about entering households in states with the Castle Doctrine?Castle-Doctrine-Map
  • Lindsey Graham withdraws from the GOP Presidential race. Will the kid’s table debates ever be the same? Including a special tribute to the highlights of his campaign, with an exciting new commercial sponsor.
  • Hillary Clinton and the state of the Democrat party Presidential race, including Hillary’s reaction to Donald Trump’s recent comments that she was “schlonged” in 2008.
  • A musical tribute to the magical mix that is Christmas and Presidential comments, featuring carols from Bobby Jindal, Bernie Sanders, Barack Obama, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul.
  • A preview of the release of a new holiday music classic, The Hillary and the Ivy, featuring the former first lady’s special touch on your favorite holiday music.
  • The release of the latest Star Wars movie, and it’s cultural significance. Also, an analysis of the recent Ipsos poll on how Star Wars characters would do if they were running for President.
HWX is brought to you by Harry’s Shave. For the finest in shaving products, with the ultimate in convenience, and at an amazingly low price, check out Harry’s. It the perfect gift for anyone who grows hair on their face in your family. Enter HWX at checkout for an additional $5 off.



There are many ways to hear the podcast, including over on the mother ship at Ricochet.  You can be sure to never miss an episode by subscribing via iTunes.  Or you can just use the player embedded in the upper right hand corner of this website.  If all of these fail, send me an email and I'll come to your house and read from a written transcript.  Hope you enjoy.

Wednesday, December 02, 2015

HWX: Nobody Does It Better





HWX returns, with Brian Ward and Paul Happe reconvening for a very special Wednesday night broadcast to address the critical issues of our time.  Topics addressed include:

*  The state of the GOP Presidential race and whatever happened to that deep bench, including a special tribute to the magic that was the Bobby Jindal campaign.

*  Jeb Bush’s machismo offensive, including his pledge to kill baby Hitler.  Also featured, a preview of this holiday season’s expected cinema blockbuster, Back to the Future IV: Get Baby Hitler.

*  This week’s Donald Trump media mini-explosions on Muslim watch lists and thousands celebrating the 9/11 attacks.  The familiar pattern of journalistic scandal baiting, and Trump’s refreshing ability to avoid any collateral damage.

*  Blogger John Hinderaker and lessons to be learned from his professional, well-reasoned approach during his interview with Washington Post columnist Dana Millbank.

*  The Paris Climate Change Conference as the ultimate rebuke to terrorism, and can Obama actually sign us up for anything without Congress?

The HWX Podcast is bright to you by Harry’s Shave! For the finest shave at the best price, go to Harrys.com and use the coupon code HWX at checkout for big savings on your order.

HWX is also sponsored by SaneBox. Is your email inbox out of control? Get it back in control with SaneBox.  Try it yourself with two free weeks of SaneBox. Visit sanebox.com/ricochet to start your trial.

There are many ways to hear the podcast, including over on the mother ship at Ricochet.  You can be sure to never miss an episode by subscribing via iTunes.  Or you can just use the player embedded in the upper right hand corner of this website.  If all of these fail, send me an email and I'll come to your house and read from a written transcript.  Hope you enjoy.