sawdust saloon
Definition
- Noun:
- A saloon whose floor is covered with sawdust: A drinking establishment, typically informal or working-class, where the floor is covered with sawdust to absorb spilled drinks, dirt, and other debris.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The old cowboy walked into the sawdust saloon and ordered a whiskey.
- In many frontier towns, the sawdust saloon was the most popular gathering place.
Advanced Usage
- The term "sawdust saloon" is often used historically or in literature to evoke a specific atmosphere of the American Old West, suggesting a rough, unpretentious, and masculine environment.
- The novel's opening scene, set in a noisy sawdust saloon, immediately established the gritty tone of the story.
Variants and Related Words
- Saloon (n): A place where alcoholic drinks are sold and consumed; a bar or pub.
- Sawdust (n): Tiny particles of wood produced by sawing.
Synonyms
- Dive bar: A disreputable, often cheap, bar or nightclub.
- Gin mill: (Slang, dated) A bar or saloon.
- Watering hole: (Informal) A bar or pub where people gather to drink socially.
Related Phrases
- Sawdust on the floor: A descriptive phrase indicating a bar's informal, traditional, or rustic character, not necessarily the full term "sawdust saloon."
- That old pub still has sawdust on the floor.
Notes on Meaning
- The primary and specific meaning of "sawdust saloon" is a saloon with a sawdust-covered floor. It is a compound noun where "sawdust" acts as an adjective describing the type of "saloon." It is not typically used in modern, formal contexts but is strongly associated with historical and fictional depictions of 19th-century American bars.
Noun
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a saloon whose floor is covered with sawdust
