1
general::
Phrase(s): *sober as a judge
1. Cliché very formal, somber, or stuffy. (*Also: as ~.) • You certainly look gloomy, Bill. You’re sober as a judge. • Tom’s as sober as a judge. I think he’s angry. 2. Cliché not drunk; alert and completely sober. (*Also: as ~.) • John’s drunk? No, he’s as sober as a judge. • You should be sober as a judge when you drive a car.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Not at all intoxicated, quite clear-headed, as in Even after three drinks he was sober as a judge. Why judges should be equated with sobriety is not known, but the simile was first recorded in 1694.
American Heritage Idioms