He is CONCERNED

Insights

Intoxication as Preoccupation

The proverb is an ironic euphemism for being drunk. The individual's 'concern' is the drink they are consuming, which has put them into a state of intoxication.

Ironic Understatement

It functions as a form of ironic understatement. By describing a conspicuous state (drunkenness) with a term for mental absorption ('concerned'), the proverb subtly mocks the individual's condition without overt criticism.

Social Disguise

The phrase acts as a social disguise, allowing the speaker to point out someone's drunkenness in a polite or humorous way, thereby avoiding a direct and potentially offensive accusation.

Euphemism and Social Norms

This proverb is a 17th-century euphemism for drunkenness, as noted by John Ray. It reflects a cultural tendency to use indirect, witty language to comment on socially sensitive behaviors like intoxication, softening judgment through ironic understatement.

Linguistic Wit and Wordplay

The phrase employs a clever pun on the word 'concerned', playing on its dual meanings of being worried and being 'involved with' or 'occupied by' something—in this case, alcohol. This linguistic wit makes the observation sharp yet indirect.

Psychological Reframing

Psychologically, the euphemism reframes a state of impaired control (drunkenness) as one of preoccupation. This verbal deflection lessens the social awkwardness or condemnation associated with calling someone drunk directly.

Rhetorical Devices

Euphemism

The word 'concerned' is used as a euphemism to substitute the more blunt and socially charged term 'drunk'.

Irony

It is ironic that the person is described as 'concerned' (implying mental focus) when their condition is one of diminished mental control due to alcohol.

Pun

The proverb's effectiveness hinges on a pun, exploiting the ambiguity of 'concerned' to mean both 'worried' and 'occupied with'.