Moon-Shine

moon·shine

[moon-shahyn]
noun
1.
Informal. smuggled or illicitly distilled liquor, especially corn liquor as illicitly distilled chiefly in rural areas of the southern U.S.
2.
empty or foolish talk, ideas, etc.; nonsense.
3.
the light of the moon; moonlight.
Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English: moonlight. See moon, shine

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
moonshine (ˈmuːnˌʃaɪn) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  another word for moonlight
2.  (US), (Canadian) illegally distilled or smuggled whisky or other spirit
3.  foolish talk or thought

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Moon-shine is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

moonshine
"illicit liquor," 1785; used also since 1468 with a meaning "unreality," probably connected in that sense with notion of "moonshine in water" (cf. moonraker).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

moonshine definition


  1. n.
    nonsense; humbug. : That's just moonshine! I don't believe a word.
  2. n.
    homemade whiskey; any cheap or inferior liquor. : Moonshine is supposed to be strong, not good.
  3. in.
    to distill or traffic in illicit liquor. (See also moonshiner.) : You would be amazed at how much people moonshine back in the hills.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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