proverb · Words worth keeping
A drunken night makes a cloudy morning.
A drunken night makes a cloudy morning.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An evening of excessive drinking can leave an unpleasant aftermath. The cloudy morning gives that aftermath a visible, gloomy image.
What the words are saying
The saying contrasts the enjoyment or abandon of a night with what follows it. Cloudiness can describe a mood, confusion or regret rather than the weather. Its point is to include the aftermath when considering an immediate pleasure, instead of treating the evening as separate from the next day. More generally, it can describe indulgence whose consequences become apparent later. The expression does not establish what a person’s symptoms mean or prescribe how to deal with them.
Everyday example
Someone regrets making careless promises during a party and has to revisit them the following morning.
When to use it
Use it to draw attention to the aftermath of an excessive evening.
What it does not mean
It is a figurative warning, not medical advice or a judgment on every social occasion.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 457 · Drunken
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English