Cooter Brown is a legendary figure in Southern United States folklore, known primarily as a metaphor for extreme drunkenness. The phrase "drunker than Cooter Brown" is commonly used to describe someone who is very intoxicated

. There are two main origin stories about who Cooter Brown was:

• One story says he lived on the Mason-Dixon line during the American Civil War. Because he had family on both the Union and Confederate sides and did not want to fight for either, he decided to stay drunk throughout the war to avoid being drafted. This reputation for constant drunkenness made his name synonymous with being very drunk

• Another version describes Cooter Brown as a biracial man (half Cherokee, half Black) living in southern Louisiana on a small plot of land given to him by an old Cajun fur trapper. He was a heavy drinker who stayed drunk during the Civil War to avoid choosing sides. After the war, he became so dependent on alcohol that he couldn't stop drinking. Legend says his shack later burned down and his body was never found, adding to his mythic status. This story ties Cooter Brown closely to Louisiana's Acadiana region and Cajun culture

In summary, Cooter Brown is a folkloric character symbolizing heavy drinking, with roots in Civil War-era stories either from the Mason-Dixon line or southern Louisiana. His name endures in Southern vernacular as a benchmark for drunkenness.