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blind tiger

American  

noun

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.

  1. an illegal saloon.

Etymology

Origin of blind tiger

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; perhaps so called because exhibitions of natural curiosities served as fronts for such places

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.

He's the real blind tiger, and Potts is his striped kitten.

From Andrew the Glad by Daviess, Maria Thompson

"I don't believe you will want to lie down in the lair of the blind tiger as soon as that, Major," laugher Phoebe.

From Andrew the Glad by Daviess, Maria Thompson

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.