Green’s Dictionary of Slang

drunk, tipsy.

1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn) n.p.: Hickey. Tipsey; quasi, hickupping.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 41: hickey Tipsy; not quite drunk; elated.
1881		Trumble Sl. Dict. (1890).