Green’s Dictionary of Slang

overtaken adj.

drunk.

1587		in W. Harrison Description of England 152: It may be that diuers of them liuing at home, with hard and pinching diet, small drinke, and some of them hauing scarce inough of that, are soonest ouertaken when they come vnto such bankets; howbeit they take it generallie as no small disgrace if they happen to be cupshotten.
1655		Massinger A Very Woman III i: And take heed of being overtaken with too much drink; For it is a lamentable sin.
1664		R. Howard The Committee IV i: Two honest Gentlemen took care of him, seeing Him thus devoutly over-taken.
1670		Memoires of Monsieur Du Vall 7: One Vice [...] I mean that of drinking; for that very night he was surpriz’d he was overtaken.
1692		J. Hacket Memorial of John Williams n.p.: He was temperate also in his drinking... but I never spake with the man that saw him overtaken [F&H].
1700		Congreve Way of the World IV ii: My nephew’s a little overtaken, cousin – but ’tis with drinking your health.
1712		Spectator No. 450 n.p.: I do not remember I was ever overtaken in drink [F&H].
1770		Foote Lame Lover in Works (1799) II 91: To be sure the knight is overtaken a little.
1847–81		Halliwell Dict. Archaic and Provincial Words II .
1871		Mrs. C. Hall Chambers’s Misc. No. 122 11: I’m sure Murphy must have been overtaken, or he’d never dare to propose such a thing [F&H].
1879		H. Hartigan Stray Leaves (2nd ser.) 140: [A]rriving about 50 yards from the back gate of the barracks, he found that he was completely ‘overtuk,’ and [...] down he went all standing.
1904		Belfast News-Letter 15 June 6: [Names for drunk] ‘concerned’, ‘overtaken,’ ‘elevated,’ ‘fuddled,’ ’.
1906		Salt Lake City (UT) 30 Mar. 4/5: He is [...] overtaken [...] afflicted .