To Guys, a Drunk Is 'Tanked' —To Women, Just 'Tipsy'

Just how drunk you think a person is depends on if you're a man or a woman, according to a study published in the journal Alcoholism. While men throw out words like "hammered" and "tanked" when faced with an intoxicated person, women tend to use more moderate terms. Why is word choice important? It can lead people to downplay risky and potentially dangerous situations like drunken driving and a woman's ability to fend off a sexual assault, the study said, per LiveScience.

Conducted in 2007, the study asked 145 college undergrads—mainly white, aged 17 to 22—to complete online surveys that described different scenarios in which males and females went to a bar, reports the LA Times. The students then assigned the characters words like buzzed, tipsy, obliterated, or wasted. Though males generally used heavier terms, they also applied those words to drunk men more than drunk women, who may downplay their drunkenness because of social and gender norms, the study said. (More alcohol stories.)