moonshine
noun

- (informal) whiskey unlawfully distilled, specifically whiskey made from corn and not matured in barrels; illegally distilled or smuggled whisky or other spirit

- (informal) foolish or empty talk, notions, plans, etc.; nonsense, rubbish

- moonlight

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary / Collins Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

The term "moonshine" has its origins in 18th century England, where it was used to refer to any illicit activity conducted under the cover of night.

The term was first applied to the production of illegal, undocumented liquor in the late 18th century in England. The word is derived from the notion of the liquor being made and distributed at night, under the light of the moon, to avoid detection by authorities.

The practice of illegally distilling liquor, known as "moonshining", was then brought to the United States, particularly in frontier areas like Pennsylvania, in the late 18th century.

After the U.S. government imposed an excise tax on whiskey in 1791, many small-scale distillers began producing and selling whiskey illegally to avoid paying the tax. This led to the Whiskey Rebellion, where moonshiners violently resisted tax collectors.

Moonshine is still made today, especially in remote areas such as the Appalachian Mountains — and it is still illegal.

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MOON PHRASES

- Mooncalf (a foolish or impractical person) - "His ideas were those of a mooncalf."

- Once in a blue moon (very rarely) - "They only visit us once in a blue moon."

- Shoot for the moon (aim high) - "He's always shooting for the moon with his goals."

- Moonshot (an ambitious and risky project) - "Landing a human on Mars is a true moonshot."

- Ask for the moon (make an unreasonable demand) - "Don't ask for the moon; negotiate a fair price."

- By the light of the moon (at night) - "They snuck out to play by the light of the moon."

- Moon over someone (be infatuated with someone) - "He's been mooning over her for months."

- Over the moon (extremely happy) - "She was over the moon when she got the job offer."

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SYNONYMS

backwoods brew, bathtub gin, blind pig special, bootleg (booze), corn liquor (squeezins’), donk, eyewash, flummery, Jersey lightning, kill-devil, hooch, hootch, homebrew, MOONSHINE, mountain dew (whiskey), mule, nonsense sauce, poteen, river brew, rotgut, swamp root, thunder juice, white dog, white lightnin', white mule

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