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Speakeasy -

A speakeasy was an illicit establishment that sold alcoholic beverages during Prohibition. Today, it may also refer to a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies.

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Blind pig -

Another term for a speakeasy was a blind pig. However, the difference was that a blind pig evaded police detection by fronting as a different sort of legitimate business.

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Blind pig -

Also known as a blind tiger, these places would charge patrons a fee up front so they could look at some sort of exotic animal (a blind pig or tiger). They would then give them a free cocktail once they entered.

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Brick of wine -

People who wanted wine could get some by simply adding water to a dehydrated block of juice. After storing it for a few weeks, it would become wine.

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Juice joint -

A juice joint was a term originally used for a soft drink stand. But that changed during Prohibition.

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Juice joint -

In the '30s, the term began to be used to refer to a bar, club, or stall serving either alcoholic or non-alcoholic liquor.

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Jake walk -

A jake walk is paralysis or loss of muscle control in the leg due to an overconsumption of Jamaican ginger, which is known as Jake. It's a legal substance with an alcoholic base.

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Jake walk -

The numbness led consumers to walk in a distinct way, which was also known as Jake leg or Jake foot.

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Hooch -

Hooch refers to low-quality liquor, usually whiskey. Having originated in the late 1800s, as a shortened version of Alaskan beverage Hoochinoo, it came back into heavy use in the '20s.

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Bathtub gin -

Bathtub gin was homemade gin, which would often be made in a bottle so tall that it couldn't be mixed with water from a sink tap. Instead, it was mixed in a bathtub.

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Bathtub gin -

Poorly made, the phrase came to be used as a general term for any type of cheap homemade booze.

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White lightning -

White lightning was the whiskey equivalent of bathtub gin. It was highly potent, illegally made, and also made from poor-quality spirits.

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On a toot -

On a toot meant to go on a drinking spree!

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On a toot -

"To toot one's horn" may have played a role in coining this phrase, as some people tend to get a bit overconfident when they drink.

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Ombibulous -

The term was made up by American journalist and essayist H.L. Mencken in 1920 to describe his love of alcohol.

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Ombibulous -

"I'm ombibulous. I drink every known alcoholic drink and enjoy them all," Mencken wrote. He was also fond of referring to bootleggers as booticians.

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Giggle water -

Giggle water was a term for champagne that originated in 1910. During Prohibition, it referred more generally to alcoholic beverages made of whiskey or gin.

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Needle beer -

During the Prohibition era, a saloon keeper could use alcohol-free or low-alcohol beer, a jar of alcohol, and a needle to make needle beer, also known as spiked beer.

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Needle beer -

This would be done by pushing a syringe of alcohol through the cork in the barrel, and injecting it into the beer. However, it was very dangerous.

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Blotto -

Blotto is an extremely drunk person, often to the point of unconsciousness.

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Teetotaler -

A teetotaler is a person who abstains from the consumption of alcohol. In the early 1800s, tee-total and tee-totally were used to intensify the words total and totally.

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Teetotaler -

Teetotal and teetotaler first appeared with their current meanings in 1834. But it was only during Prohibition that it was popularized. 

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G-man -

Believed to be a shortened form of "government man," a g-man was a special agent of the FBI. Laws banning the sale of alcohol led to an increase in crime, and caused many more law enforcement officers to be assigned in this area.

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Dry -

During Prohibition, dry was a noun used in reference to a person who is opposed to the legal sale of alcoholic beverages.

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Dry -

Bureau of Prohibition agents were often referred to as dry agents, though corruption was highly common. As an adjective, it describes a place that doesn't serve alcohol.

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Wet -

The opposite of dry, a wet was a person who was for the legal sale of alcoholic beverages. It was also a place where liquor was supplied.

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Bootlegging -

Also known as rum-running, bootlegging originally involved transporting flasks of alcohol inside one's boots.

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Bootlegging -

For some, bootlegging became a lucrative business. Bootlegging king George Remus (pictured) earned a US$5 million fortune from this illegal activity during the early days of Prohibition.

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Scofflaw -

Meaning a contemptuous law violator, the term came about as a result of America's attempt at collective sobriety.

Sources: (Mental Floss) (Merriam-Webster)

See also: Fearless Prohibition-era cocktails

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