bathtub gin

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

bathtub gin (countable and uncountable, plural bathtub gins)

1. (colloquial) Gin or a similar alcoholic beverage which is of very poor quality, as if made by a homebrewer in a bathtub.

   Synonym: moonshine

   • 1936 June 14, “‘Dates as Usual’”, in Milwaukee Journal‎^[1], retrieved 31 July 2013, page 2:

     Part of Dallman's "Three Blind Mice" parody follows: / They called us donkey-braying cranks / But all they gave to win our thanks / Was bathtub gin and busted banks / For twelve long years.

   • 1984 December 30, Alvin Klein, “‘Brown Sugar’ Done to a Bubbling Turn (theatre review)”, in New York Times‎^[2], retrieved 31 July 2013:

     A 1976 Broadway hit, "Bubbling Brown Sugar" recreates the night life of the 1920s - when they drank "scotch in teacups" and bathtub gin.

   • 1990, “Bathtub Gin”, in Lawn Boy, performed by Phish:

     And Wendy's on the windowsill / Waitin' to be let in / And we're all in the bathtub now / Making bathtub gin

   • 2008 December 5, “Top 10 Prohibition Tales: Mortal Moonshine”, in Time‎^[3], archived from the original on 2012-03-02:

     It wasn't just the violent Prohibition-era gang wars that were dangerous to Americans drinking homemade moonshine and bathtub gin.

Usage notes

• Used especially to refer to bootlegged liquor produced during the U.S. Prohibition era (1919–1933).

See also

• bootleg
• rotgut

References

• “bathtub gin”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.