moonshine
Americannoun
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Informal. smuggled or illicitly distilled liquor, especially corn liquor as illicitly distilled chiefly in rural areas of the southern U.S.
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empty or foolish talk, ideas, etc.; nonsense.
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the light of the moon; moonlight.
noun
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another word for moonlight
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illegally distilled or smuggled whisky or other spirit
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foolish talk or thought
Etymology
Origin of moonshine
1375–1425; late Middle English: moonlight. See moon, shine 1,
Explanation
Moonshine is the glowing light that comes from the moon, and it's also a common term meaning "homemade liquor." In an old-timey bluegrass song, a character might drink moonshine in the moonshine. While moonshine can simply be a synonym for moonlight, it's often used as slang for bootleg (or illicit) whiskey, as well as a colorful way to say "nonsense." For example, you could say, "I listened to her speech, but I finally decided everything she said was nothing but moonshine." This "without substance" meaning is actually the oldest figurative definition of moonshine, dating from the fifteenth century.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Her parents and some of her siblings run the Moonshine, a shabby but endearing collection of beachy cottages and various outbuildings, but only to the degree that hippies ever really “run” anything.
From New York Times • Feb. 22, 2024
The council has asked people to avoid the area and warned people to expect disruption on Moonshine Lane, Everingham Road, Southey Crescent, Southey Close and Raisen Hall Road.
From BBC • Jan. 16, 2023
The Tennessee cornerback said on social media that if he got an interception against Tennessee Tech, everybody would get two free cookies at Moonshine Mountain Cookies at either of the company's two Knoxville locations.
From Fox News • Sep. 18, 2021
The Tennessee cornerback said on social media that if he got an interception against Tennessee Tech, everybody would get two free cookies at Moonshine Mountain Cookies at either of the company’s two Knoxville locations.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 18, 2021
Had he acted Pyramus, he 398 would have been Moonshine too, and the Hole in the Wall.
From Calamities and Quarrels of Authors by Disraeli, Isaac
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
