gin-shop
Definition
Noun: A "gin-shop" is a retail establishment or bar where gin is sold and consumed. Historically, it refers to a specific type of tavern or public house that primarily sells gin, a distilled alcoholic beverage flavoured with juniper berries.
Usage Examples
- (A bar specializing in gin.)
- (A traditional tavern selling gin.)
- (Historical context of a gin-selling establishment.)
Advanced Usage
"gin-shop" as a social symbol: In 18th and 19th century English literature, the term often carries a connotation of poverty, vice, or urban decay, associated with the "Gin Craze" in London.
- The novel described the gin-shop as a place of despair, where workers spent their wages. (Used symbolically to critique social conditions.)
"gin-shop politics": A phrase referring to informal, often rowdy political discussions held in such establishments.
- The local gin-shop was a hub for gin-shop politics, where workers debated reforms. (Political discourse in a low-class tavern.)
Variants and Related Words
- Gin-mill (noun, chiefly American): A synonym for a gin-shop, often used in the US.
- He owned a gin-mill in the Wild West town. (A bar selling gin in a frontier setting.)
- Gin-palace (noun): A large, ornate gin-shop, especially in 19th-century Britain.
- The gin-palace was decorated with mirrors and gaslights. (A grander version of a gin-shop.)
Synonyms
- Tavern: A general term for a place where alcoholic drinks are sold.
- Bar: A modern term for an establishment serving drinks.
- Pub (short for public house): A common British term for a drinking establishment.
Related Idioms
- "A gin-shop of the soul": A metaphorical phrase meaning a place or state of moral decay or addiction.
- He described his mind as a gin-shop of the soul, filled with bad habits. (A poetic expression of inner corruption.)
- "To smell like a gin-shop": To have a strong odour of gin, often implying drunkenness.
- After the party, his breath smelled like a gin-shop. (Strong alcoholic scent.)