English Translation
He had once again drunk one over the eight.
Native English speaker, Of the many terms I have heard for getting Scheiß-faced, I have never heard this one… always more to learn.
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That one’s new to me also. Must be a regional expression somewhere.
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Yea, I’m sort of curious of the origin…well, so I just investigated, it is British. I guess eight pints is considered a reasonable amount to drink and avoid being totally blotto, so if you are one over the eight you’re officially drunk. I did know that the saying “mind your ps and qs” (plural p and plural q), originally sprang from the venerable British pub as well, meaning mind your pints and quarts to avoid being one over the eight. Cheers!
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“Mind your P’s and Q’s” I’ve heard before, but my understanding was that it meant something more like “mind your own business”, the original meaning being “mind the drinks on your own table, and never mind what’s happening over at the next table, because it’s none of your business”. Might be an urban legend though.
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So I would hear “mind your P’s and Q’s” more when I was a kid, and thought of it as being a general caution to behave, with no thought to P’s and Q’s. The reason I think it does derive from pints and quarts and not to drink too much is because I have a friend from Sheffield who told me that. He is usually reliable about such things, but could be urban legend.