Definition

Noun: 1. A roadside establishment: A roadhouse is an inn, restaurant, or bar located on a main road, typically outside of a town or city. It traditionally provides meals, drinks, and entertainment such as dancing or music for travelers and locals.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • We stopped at a quaint roadhouse for a burger and a drink on our cross-country trip.
  • The old roadhouse on Route 66 was famous for its live country music.
  • The truck driver knew all the best roadhouses along the interstate for a hot meal.

Advanced Usage

• Cultural Context: The term "roadhouse" often evokes a specific, sometimes rustic, atmosphere associated with road travel, especially in mid-20th century America. It can imply a place with character, sometimes with a reputation for lively or rowdy entertainment.
  • The film portrayed the roadhouse as a gritty place where bikers and travelers mingled.

Variants and Related Words

• Road (n): A wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a specially prepared surface which vehicles can use.
• Inn (n): An establishment providing accommodations, food, and drink, especially for travelers.
• Tavern (n): A place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food.

Synonyms

• Wayside inn: An inn located by the side of a road.
• Public house (pub): A building licensed to sell alcoholic drinks, and often also serving food.
• Diner: A small, informal, and often nostalgic restaurant.

Related Phrases

• Roadhouse blues: A style of blues music or a feeling of melancholy associated with travel and roadside life.
  • The band played a set of classic roadhouse blues.
• Roadhouse rules: An informal, unwritten code of conduct, implying that standard social rules do not fully apply. (This is a modern, idiomatic extension).
  • Out here, it's roadhouse rules—you handle your own problems.

Noun

1. an inn (usually outside city limits on a main road) providing meals and liquor and dancing and (sometimes) gambling