drunkard's chair
LowInformal, Historical, Humorous
Definition
Meaning
A traditional type of chair, often rustic or antique, characterized by a wide, low seat and a very high, straight back designed to prevent a heavily intoxicated person from falling backwards or sliding off.
1. Any awkward or poorly designed chair that is difficult to sit in comfortably. 2. A figurative or humorous reference to a situation or condition of precariousness or incapacity.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
This is a highly specific, concrete noun referring to a physical object. Its meaning is largely historical and evocative, often used in discussions of antique furniture or as a colorful, metaphorical descriptor rather than as a common functional term.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is equally rare and historical in both varieties. No significant structural or lexical difference exists.
Connotations
Both varieties carry the same historical and slightly humorous connotations. It may evoke images of old English pubs or American colonial taverns.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both regions. It is more likely found in historical texts, antique furniture catalogues, or as a deliberate, colorful archaism.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Verb + drunkard's chair: sat in/collapsed into/fell onto the drunkard's chairPrepositional Phrase + drunkard's chair: the corner with the drunkard's chairAdjective + drunkard's chair: an antique drunkard's chairVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “He needs a drunkard's chair (figurative: he is incapable/unsteady).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Potentially found in historical, furniture design, or social history texts.
Everyday
Extremely rare, used as a humorous or descriptive term for an awkward or very upright chair.
Technical
Used in antique furniture restoration or description.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- He was so legless, they practically had to drunkard's-chair him into the corner.
American English
- After the party, they found him drunkard's-chaired at the kitchen table, snoring loudly.
adjective
British English
- He assumed a drunkard's-chair posture, rigid and unmoving.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- This is a very old chair.
- The old pub had a special chair with a very high back.
- In the corner of the antique shop stood a so-called drunkard's chair, designed to stop inebriated patrons from falling over.
- His moralizing lectures had the uncomfortable, rigid quality of a metaphorical drunkard's chair, propping up a failing argument.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a DRUNKARD needing a special CHAIR to keep him from tipping over. The chair's back is like a wall behind him.
Conceptual Metaphor
STABILITY/SAFETY IS UPRIGHT SUPPORT; INCAPACITY IS A PHYSICAL CONTAINMENT.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Direct translation might yield 'пьяный стул', which is nonsensical. The concept is not lexicalized in Russian. Descriptive translation is needed: 'кресло с высокой спинкой, чтобы пьяный не упал'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a synonym for any chair in a bar. Confusing it with a 'bar stool'. Using the plural as 'drunkards' chair' (though both possessive forms are possible).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary functional feature of a drunkard's chair?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, they are different. A bar stool is tall and usually has a backrest, designed for sitting at a high bar. A drunkard's chair is a standard-height chair with an exceptionally tall, straight back for stability.
Yes, though it's rare. It can describe any situation, system, or object that awkwardly 'props up' someone or something that is fundamentally unstable or incapable.
No, it is a very low-frequency, historical term. Most native speakers would not know it unless they have an interest in antique furniture or historical taverns.
They are unrelated. 'Drunkard's chair' is a physical object. 'Drunkard's walk' is a mathematical and scientific term (a 'random walk') describing a path consisting of a succession of random steps, metaphorically like the erratic path of an intoxicated person.