CAs someone who has previously grappled with etymology, Mark Forsyth is the right person to tackle a subject that is often about getting around, literally and figuratively. He says he has only a very vague idea of what drunkenness is (only someone very drunk would have the courage to claim to be an expert on such a topic), but admits that he once leaned out “from a one-story window in Camden Town, exhorting the passersby to repentance.” He adds that it’s not the kind of thing he would want to do if he were sober, which, from his perspective, shows that drinking isn’t just about letting you down.
