“In pants” has become the latest synonym for “drunk” to be added to the dictionary, thanks to the verbal invention of Billy Connolly

The Oxford English Dictionary has added the adjective to its official site, with the definition given as ‘slang (mainly British and Irish English). Drunk, intoxicated”.

Scottish comedian Connolly is credited with introducing the term intoxication to the general public, and the dictionary entry cites one of his quotes from a 1977 newspaper interview in which he states that it can “be totally in pants with the best of them”.

Jonathan Dent, the OED Review Editor, wrote that the latest dictionary update includes “colourful expressions for being or becoming (very) drunk”, including: “In trousers, apparently popularized by the comedian of Glasgow Billy Connolly, and a predominantly British and Irish feature”. English since the 1970s.

Kate Wild, the dictionary’s editor, said the new addition joined a huge selection of English synonyms to become “trousered”.

She said: ‘The new meaning trousers meaning ‘drunk’ extends what is already one of the largest categories, drunk, which contains over 200 words: from Old English for drunk to late 20th century coins such as wazzed, mullered, t******, b*********, and – now – in pants.

“And that’s just the main drunk category: if around 200 synonyms aren’t enough for your needs, there are plenty of more specific terms in subcategories like partially drunk, riot drunk, and completely or very drunk.”

In Connolly’s 1977 interview in which he used the term “in pants”, he clarified that he had never been drinking before going on stage.

Other citations for the use of the term “trousers” include its deployment by Neil Griffiths in his 2001 novel Grits to describe a drunken character.