gill



full to the gills

Completely full; teeming; having no room to spare. I've got so many meetings and deadlines these days that my schedule is full to the gills! Her mind was full to the gills with ideas for her new book. I felt full to the gills after my grandmother's Thanksgiving meal.
See also: full, gill

packed to the gills

Completely full; teeming; having no room to spare. I've got so many meetings and deadlines these days that my schedule is packed to the gills! Her mind was packed to the gills with ideas for her new book. I felt packed to the gills after my grandmother's Thanksgiving meal.
See also: gill, packed

be doped to the gills

To be thoroughly intoxicated by drugs, especially those prescribed by a doctor, to the point of incoherence or senselessness. I was doped to the gills for about two weeks after my surgery. I'm off the painkillers now, but I still feel pretty out of it.
See also: dope, gill

be sloshed to the gills

To be thoroughly inebriated; to be drunk to the point of incoherence, senselessness, or the loss of self-control. I hate being in New Orleans during Mardi Gras—an appalling number of people are sloshed to the gills!
See also: gill, sloshed

doped to the gills

Thoroughly intoxicated by drugs, especially those prescribed by a doctor, to the point of incoherence or senselessness. I was doped to the gills for about two weeks after my surgery. I'm off the painkillers now, but I still feel pretty out of it.
See also: dope, gill

sloshed to the gills

Thoroughly inebriated; drunk to the point of incoherence, senselessness, or the loss of self-control. I hate being in New Orleans during Mardi Gras—an appalling number of people are sloshed to the gills!
See also: gill, sloshed

be stuffed to the gills

To be completely full or teeming; to have no room to spare. I've got so many meetings and deadlines these days that my schedule is stuffed to the gills! Her mind was stuffed to the gills with ideas for her new book.
See also: gill, stuff

stuffed to the gills

Completely full; teeming; having no room to spare. I've got so many meetings and deadlines these days that my schedule is stuffed to the gills! Her mind was stuffed to the gills with ideas for her new book. I felt stuffed to the gills after my grandmother's Thanksgiving meal.
See also: gill, stuff

fishy about the gills

Hung-over. A: "How are you feeling after your night of partying?" B: "Ugh, fishy about the gills—I've been throwing up all morning!"
See also: fishy, gill

up to the gills

Drunk. Boy, you were really up to the gills last night—how hungover do you feel this morning? You're up to the gills, stumbling in here reeking of alcohol!
See also: gill, up

white around the gills

Pale, typically due to nausea or fear. I get terrible motion sickness, so I'm sure I was a little white around the gills when I stumbled off the plane. I was white around the gills for awhile after my brother jumped out of the closet and scared me.
See also: around, gill, white

green about the gills

Nauseated. After all that drinking last night, I sure am green about the gills today. The steady rocking of the boat caused Colleen to be green about the gills.
See also: gill, green

green around the gills

Nauseated. After all that drinking last night, I sure am green around the gills today. The steady rocking of the boat caused Colleen to be green around the gills.
See also: around, gill, green

loaded to the gills

 and loaded to the barrel
Sl. intoxicated. He's loaded to the gills. Man, he's loaded to the barrel and fighting mad.
See also: gill, loaded

pale around the gills

 and blue around the gills; green around the gills
Fig. looking sick. (The around can be replaced with about.) John is looking a little pale around the gills. What's wrong? Oh, I feel a little green about the gills.
See also: around, gill, pale

be green about/around the gills

  (humorous)
to look ill, as if you are going to vomit He was out drinking last night, was he? I thought he looked a bit green about the gills this morning.
See also: gill, green

fed to the gills

Also, fed to the teeth; fed up. Disgusted, unable or unwilling to put up with something. For example, I'm fed to the gills with these delays (the gills here is slang for "mouth"), or He was fed to the teeth with her excuses, or I'm fed up-let's leave right now. Of these colloquial expressions, fed up, alluding to being overfull from having overeaten, dates from about 1900, and the others from the first half of the 1900s. Also see up to one's ears.
See also: fed, gill

green about the gills

Also, green around the gills. Looking ill or nauseated, as in After that bumpy ride she looked quite green about the gills. The use of green to describe an ailing person's complexion dates from about 1300, and gills has referred to the flesh around human jaws and ears since the 1600s. Although in the 1800s white and yellow were paired with gills to suggest illness, the alliterative green has survived them.
See also: gill, green

blue around the gills

and green around the gills
1. mod. ill; nauseated. How about a little air? I feel a little green around the gills.
2. mod. alcohol intoxicated. Marty—now thoroughly green around the gills—slid neatly under the table, and everyone pretended not to notice.
See also: around, blue, gill

green around the gills

verb
See also: around, gill, green

loaded to the gills

and loaded to the barrel
mod. alcohol intoxicated. He’s loaded to the gills. Couldn’t see a hole in a ladder. Those guys are loaded to the barrel and are getting mean.
See also: gill, loaded

stewed to the gills

and stewed to the ears
mod. alcohol intoxicated. When I get stewed to the gills, I usually fall asleep, right then and there. Here’s old Charlie—stewed to the ears, as always.
See also: gill, stewed

to the gills

Informal
As full as possible; completely.
See also: gill

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Ning-Chinese
EchoE-ko (English)Greek Mythology
Bernardita-Spanish
Merry (1)MER-eeEnglish
Lila (2)LIE-ləEnglish
Torleif-Norwegian