sober as a judge

Idioms  

1. Not at all intoxicated, quite clear-headed, as in Even after three drinks he was sober as a judge. Why judges should be equated with sobriety is not known, but the simile was first recorded in 1694.

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Example Sentences

So much for thinking we need someone as sober as a judge.

From Salon • Sep. 28, 2018

And along those lines, though sober as a judge, I remember sitting in a folding chair next to the teaching station, asking Mattingly what he usually shot on the store's simulator.

From Golf Digest • Feb. 6, 2017

But she does that from time to time when she’s sober as a judge, too.

From Time • Oct. 16, 2014

In Sioux Falls, S.Dak., charged with disturbing the peace, Robert Rehfeldt was fined $10 when he told the court that he only drank three beers and was "sober as a judge."

From Time Magazine Archive

I was sober as a judge, I’d just like to point out, although I was in a bit of a state, distracted, panicky almost.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins