Tired and emotional

This article is about the euphemism. For the album by Mary Coughlan, see Tired and Emotional.

The phrase "tired and emotional" is a chiefly British euphemism for alcohol intoxication. It was popularised by the British satirical magazine Private Eye in 1967 after being used in a spoof diplomatic memo to describe the state of Labour cabinet minister George Brown,[1] but is now used as a stock phrase. The restraints of parliamentary language mean it is unacceptable in the House of Commons to accuse an MP of being drunk, but one may use this or other euphemisms such as "not quite himself" and "overwrought". The Guardian describes the phrase as having joined "those that are part of every journalist's vocabulary".[2] Because of this widespread interpretation, one source cautions professional British journalists against its use as, "even if the journalist meant it literally", it could be considered defamatory.[3]

  1. ^ Nigel Rees (28 May 2002). Cassell's Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins. Sterling Publishing Company. p. 292. ISBN 0-304-36225-5.
  2. ^ Jessica Hodgson (7 November 2001). "Private Eye hails libel victory". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 February 2007.
  3. ^ Sally Adams; Hicks, Wynford (26 June 2001). Interviewing for Journalists. Routledge. pp. 190. ISBN 0-415-22913-8. tired.and.emotional private.eye.