This comes from the old phrase “Three sheets to the wind”, which means you are drunk.
But where does that come from?
“Three sheets to the wind” comes from sailing terminology. A “sheet” is a rope or chain that holds one both lower corners of a sail.
I know – who knew that ropes would be called “sheets” while the sails look a whole lot more than sheets tha
n a rope ever will.
But that’s those old sailors for ya – aRRR.
So if a sailing vessel is on the water and the wind is blowing and “sheets” are loose, this makes the sails flap around uncontrollably and makes the ship stagger around like it was drunk.
But the phrase is so crazy that I thought it might as well be “Three Sheep to the Wind” – that’s the Matthew Shelton version, anyway. And of course there are all kinds of sailors’ drinking songs, so maybe that’ll be next here. Arrr – wait – that’s a pirate. Maybe I’m Three Sheep to the Wind too.