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moonlighter

 - 4 dictionary results

moon⋅light

[moon-lahyt] noun, adjective, verb, -light⋅ed, -light⋅ing.
–noun
1. the light of the moon.
–adjective
2. pertaining to moonlight.
3. illuminated by moonlight.
4. occurring by moonlight, or at night.
–verb (used without object)
5. to work at an additional job after one's regular, full-time employment, as at night.

Origin:
1325–75; 1950–55 for def. 5; ME monelight


moonlighter, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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moon·light   (mōōn'līt')   
n.  The light reflected from the surface of the moon.
intr.v.   moon·light·ed, moon·light·ing, moon·lights Informal
To work at another job, often at night, in addition to one's full-time job.
moon'light'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
moonlight

  1. n.
    illicit liquor; moonshine. : Where's that bottle of moonlight you used to keep under the counter?
  2. in.
    to traffic in illicit liquor. (Best done under the cover of darkness.) : He moonlighted during prohibition.
  3. in.
    to work at a second job. : Larry had to moonlight to earn enough to feed his family.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

moonlight  (v.)
"hold a second job, especially at night," 1957 (implied in moonlighting), from moonlighter (1954), from the notion of working by the light of the moon. Earlier the word had been used to mean "commit crimes at night" (1882). The noun meaning "light of the moon" is attested from c.1366. Moonlit (1830) is first attested in Tennyson.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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