hooch

¹ American  

[hooch] / hutʃ /

Or hootch

noun

Slang.

1. alcoholic liquor.

2. liquor illicitly distilled and distributed.

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hooch ² American  

[hooch] / hutʃ /

Also hoochie or hootch

noun

Military Slang.

1. a thatched hut of southeast Asia.

2. any living quarters, as a barracks.

3. (especially during the Korean War)

   1. a prostitute's dwelling.

   2. any place, as a house, room, or shack, where a serviceman sets up housekeeping with a local woman.

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Hooch ³ American  

[hooch, hohkh] / hutʃ, hoʊx /

noun

1. Pieter de 1629?–88?, Dutch painter.

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Hooch ¹ British  

/ huːtʃ, hoːx /

noun

1. Pieter de (ˈpiːtər də). 1629–?1684, Dutch genre painter, noted esp for his light effects

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hooch ² British  

/ huːtʃ /

noun

1. informal alcoholic drink, esp illicitly distilled spirits

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Etymology

Origin of hooch¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; shortening of hoochinoo

Origin of hooch²

First recorded in 1950–55; probably from Japanese uchi “house” (by back formation, construing -i as -y ² ); initial h perhaps by association with hut or from Ryukyuan dialectal form of uchi with prefixed h-

Example Sentences

In a fit of anger, he took the Guam flag out of his vest and ran it up a makeshift flagpole outside his hooch, 20 feet into the sky, violating military policy.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2023

“He volunteered to go to Iraq for a year. Unfortunately, his hooch was right next to one of those burn pits.”

From Washington Times • Nov. 3, 2022

Mr Phillips also shared details of their lives, such how the prisoners saved the Red Cross sugar, raisin and prune rations for the occasional "hooch night", and how he became "obsessed" with escape.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2019

He was unloading into a hooch and he heard a noise.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 14, 2019

Back at the hooch I told Peewee what the orderly had said.

From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• alcohol
• drink
• liquor
• spirits