Definition

1. Noun:

   • A strong alcoholic spirit: A clear, colorless liquor flavored primarily with juniper berries and other botanicals.
   • A trap or snare: A device, often with a noose, used for catching birds or small mammals.
   • A machine for processing cotton: A machine that separates cotton fibers from their seeds.
   • A card game: A specific form of the rummy card game.

2. Verb:

   • To trap: To catch using a snare or trap.
   • To process cotton: To separate the seeds from cotton fibers using a gin machine.
   • To begin a card game: To start a hand in the game of gin rummy (often used as "gin" in the phrase "to gin").

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Spirit):
  • She ordered a gin and tonic at the bar.
  • The classic martini is made with gin and vermouth.
• Noun (Trap):
  • The hunter set a gin to catch rabbits.
• Noun (Machine):
  • The invention of the cotton gin revolutionized the textile industry.
• Noun (Card Game):
  • They spent the evening playing a few hands of gin.
• Verb (To Trap):
  • Poachers would gin small animals illegally.
• Verb (To Process Cotton):
  • The farmers needed to gin their cotton harvest before selling it.

Advanced Usage

• "Mother's ruin": A historical British slang term for gin, referencing its cheapness and social impact in the 18th century.
  • In the 1700s, gin was often called "mother's ruin."
• "Gin up": To generate or stir up (e.g., excitement, support). This is a phrasal verb derived from the verb sense.
  • The politician tried to gin up enthusiasm for her campaign.

Variants and Related Words

• Gin rummy (n): The full name of the card game.
  • Gin rummy is more strategic than it first appears.
• Cotton gin (n): The full term for the cotton-processing machine.
  • Eli Whitney is credited with inventing the cotton gin.
• Gin joint (n, informal): A bar or saloon.
  • It was a smoky gin joint from a bygone era.

Synonyms

• Spirit: Alcohol, liquor (specifically for the drink).
• Trap: Snare, noose.
• Machine: Engine, device (specifically for the cotton gin).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Gin up: To generate, stimulate, or fabricate.
  • The article was designed to gin up public outrage.

Related Idioms

• "Dutch courage": Refers to courage gained from drinking alcohol, historically associated with gin.
  • He had a shot of gin for Dutch courage before his speech.

Noun

1. a form of rummy in which a player can go out if the cards remaining in their hand total less than 10 points
2. a machine that separates the seeds from raw cotton fibers
3. a trap for birds or small mammals; often has a slip noose
4. strong liquor flavored with juniper berries

Verb

1. trap with a snare
   • gin game
2. separate the seeds from (cotton) with a cotton gin