tight as a tick

Idioms  

1. Drunk, as in She was tight as a tick after just one glass of wine. This expression alludes to a tick engorged with the blood of the animals it feeds on. [Slang; mid-1800s]

---

Example Sentences

“The Iowa Republican caucuses are tight as a tick entering the final two weeks of the campaign,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

From New York Times • Nov. 13, 1454

"He's tight as a tick," said presidential Press Secretary Jody Powell of his boss.

From Time Magazine Archive

"He is tight as a tick with the President," says a top White House aide.

From Time Magazine Archive

Here I parted company with Whitecup after getting him roaring full hoping he would squeal what bait he used—but he was tight as a tick and mum as a toad.

From Black Beaver The Trapper by Lewis, James Campbell