Meaning & Analysis
When a person consumes alcoholic beverages like wine or ale, their intelligence, judgment, and common sense are diminished or lost.
Insights
The Loss of Reason
The proverb serves as a powerful metaphor for the suspension of reason. Alcohol acts as a catalyst that removes the rational and social filters governing behavior, leading to foolish actions and poor decisions.
Impairment of Self-Control
'Wit' symbolizes not just intellect but also self-control and social grace. Its absence implies a state of lowered inhibitions, where one's unfiltered thoughts and impulses are freely expressed, often with negative consequences.
Intoxication and Vulnerability
The saying warns of the vulnerability that accompanies intoxication. By losing one's 'wit,' a person becomes susceptible to deception, manipulation, or making regrettable commitments they would otherwise avoid.
Social and Historical Context
The interchangeability of 'wine' and 'ale' in early citations demonstrates the proverb's broad application across social strata, from the common populace (ale drinkers) to the gentry (wine drinkers), reflecting a universal, pre-scientific understanding of alcohol's cognitive effects.
Psychological Insight
This proverb captures the core psychological effect of alcohol on the prefrontal cortex, which governs executive functions. 'Wit' being 'out' is a folk-science explanation for the suppression of judgment, self-control, and rational thought that occurs during intoxication.
Cultural Function
The proverb functions as both a warning against intoxication and, as a 1721 annotation notes, a 'slender excuse' for misbehavior. This dual use highlights a cultural tension between holding individuals accountable and acknowledging the transformative, disinhibiting power of alcohol.
Contradictory Folk Wisdom
Juxtaposed with the cross-referenced proverb 'In wine there is truth' (W465), this saying creates a nuanced view of intoxication. While this proverb suggests a loss of intelligence, the other implies a loss of pretense, suggesting that what is revealed in drunkenness is not foolishness but an unvarnished, albeit unfiltered, version of the self.
Rhetorical Devices
Antithesis
The proverb is built on a stark antithesis between 'wine'/'in' and 'wit'/'out,' creating a balanced, memorable, and impactful statement about cause and effect.
Parallelism
The phrase uses a parallel structure ('When X is in, Y is out') that is rhythmic and easy to recall, contributing significantly to its endurance as a piece of folk wisdom.
Assonance
The assonance of the short 'i' sound in 'wine is in, wit is' creates a phonetic link that makes the proverb catchy and aurally pleasing.
Personification
'Wit' is personified as an entity that can physically depart from a person. This simplifies the complex neurological effects of alcohol into a simple, vivid, and easily understood image.
Transcription
Quotations
(ale).
When drinke commeth in, then talking doth blin [cease].
(then wit is out).
Full bowles make empty braines.
When the Ale (Wine) is in, the wit is out.
When the wine is in, the wit is out.
[As in 1616 Dr., no. 2425].
[As in 1616 Dr., no. 2425].
Where the drink goes in there the wit goes out.
(ale).
Wine within, and wit without.
Where the drink goes in the wit goes out.
(Ale).
[As in 1640 Herb.].
Wine within, the wit without.
(Quhen wine is).
[As in 1616 Dr., no. 2425].
[As in 1616 Dr., no. 2425].
When drink's in Wit's out.
A slender Excuse for what People may say, or do in their drink.
[As in 1616 Dr., no. 2425].
Shakespeare Citations
A good old man, sir; he will be talking. As they say, ‘When the age is in, the wit is out.’
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.