Cooter
Brown is a name used in metaphors and similes for drunkenness, mostly in the southern United States. Cooter Brown supposedly lived on the line which divided the North and South during the American Civil War, making him eligible for military draft by either side. He had family on both sides of the line, so he did not want to fight in the war. He decided to get
drunk and stay
drunk for the duration of the war so that he would be seen as
useless for military purposes and would not be drafted. Inebriety has been measured against Cooter Brown'
s extended binge ever since by use of the metaphors "as drunk as Cooter Brown" or "drunker than Cooter Brown."