The story
Perhaps from Steamboat Willie, rhyming slang for silly, or perhaps from a stereotype of steamboat passengers getting drunk.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
steamboats
Today it means: Drunk; intoxicated. Full definition →
Today it means: Drunk; intoxicated. Full definition →
Perhaps from Steamboat Willie, rhyming slang for silly, or perhaps from a stereotype of steamboat passengers getting drunk.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.