drunk as Chloe

Meaning

Adjective

• Very drunk.

Origin

• Possibly a reference to the Chloe mentioned in the poetry of Matthew Prior.
• Australian vernacular usage (reported by Partridge and others) is influenced by, and often thought to refer to, the well-known nude painting Chloé, which was hung briefly (in 1883) at the National Gallery of Victoria, and later (from 1908) at the Young and Jacksons hotel, Melbourne.