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belligerent

adjective; analogy
a state of extreme intoxication characterized by aggressive behavior coupled with a complete lack of social regard or restraint, and therefore often resulting in confrontations, altercations, and the destruction of property Zero derivation, with some metonymic qualities: belligerent – warlike, bellicose, angry and confrontational => a state of drunkenness characterized by these qualities. This is a somewhat subtle shift, but I felt that it had moved so firmly to this new domain that it did, in fact, constitute a new word. This is especially because the speakers do not so much literally mean “Let’s get angry/bellicose,” but rather place emphasis on the level of drunkenness to be achieved, until the term specifically means to get extremely (and perhaps aggressively) drunk, i.e., beyond qwasted.
 
We’re getting belligerent tonight!
Etymology : Fr. Latinate belligerant, meaning in a state of war, presently waging war; Modern English belligerent often used by law enforcement to describe attitude of intoxicated subjects
Source : A friend
Last modified: 10 June 2008


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