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speakeasy

[speek-ee-zee]
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noun, plural speak·eas·ies.

a saloon or nightclub selling alcoholic beverages illegally, especially during Prohibition.

RELATED WORDS

bistro, bar, restaurant, tavern, disco, joint, saloon, cabaret, discotheque, hangout, pub, nightclub, barroom, hotel, lounge, inn, lodge, theatre, hideaway, dive

Origin of speakeasy

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; speak + easy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for speakeasies

Contemporary Examples of speakeasies

Historical Examples of speakeasies

  • Maybe the machine covered only the area around the various banks, speakeasies, bars and horse parlors.

    The Old Die Rich

    Horace Leonard Gold

British Dictionary definitions for speakeasies

speakeasy

noun plural -easies

US a place where alcoholic drink was sold illicitly during Prohibition

Word Origin for speakeasy

C19: from speak + easy (in the sense: gently, quietly)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for speakeasies

speakeasy

n.

"unlicensed saloon," 1889 (in New York "Voice"), from speak + easy; so called from the practice of speaking quietly about such a place in public, or when inside it, so as not to alert the police and neighbors. The word gained wide currency in U.S. during Prohibition (1920-1932). In early 19c. Irish and British dialect, a speak softly shop meant "smuggler's den."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper