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

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

From Washington Times

Or was it a name conjured up by Evans & Ragland to give some prestige to a local farmer’s hooch?

From New York Times

The distillers of backwoods Appalachia revealed the American hooch has been in greater demand during tough times.

From Fox News

The department proudly displayed its findings Sunday in an Instagram post, with a photo of deputies standing behind dozens of bags filled with supplies for the homemade hooch.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• alcohol
• drink
• liquor
• spirits