Three Sheets to the Wind Law and Legal Definition
The phrase three sheets to the wind is an old slang term referring to the state of being very inebriated; drunk. It derives from old sailing days when three mast ships were common. If the mast sheets weren't anchored down with a ropes or chains, it seemed to make the sails flap and the ship would lurch about similarly to the appearance of a drunken sailor's stagger.
