E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Martin Drunk.
Very intoxicated indeed; a drunken man “sobered” by drinking more. The feast of St. Martin (November 11) used to be held as a day of great debauch. Hence Baxter uses the word Martin as a synonym of a drunkard:—
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“The language of Martin is there [in heaven] a stranger.”—Saint’s Rest.
