potteen

Or your basic, home-made potteen or white-lightning.

Making Light: Open thread 135 2010

A sight which was quite exhilarating, and reminded me so strongly of the fine odour which exhales from the products of illicit distillation, that guagers and potteen, like the phantoms of hallucination, were presenting themselves continually to my imagination for the remainder of that day.

A Ramble of Six Thousand Miles through the United States of America

"By dad," says Barny, "they may rack their brains a long time before they'll make out a purtier invintion than _potteen_, -- that rum may do very well for thim that has the misforthin 'not to know betther; but the whiskey is a more nathral sper't accordin' to my idays."

Stories of Comedy Rossiter Johnson 1885

An 'as soon as the wife an' the crathurs war fairly in bed, he brought out some illigint potteen, an 'himself an' Jer Garvan sot down to it; an 'begorra, the more anasy Terence got, the more he dhrank, and himself and Jer Garvan finished a quart betune them.

The Purcell Papers, Volume III 1880

An 'as soon as the wife an' the crathurs war fairly in bed, he brought out some illigint potteen, an 'himself an' Jer Garvan sot down to it; an 'begorra, the more anasy Terence got, the more he dhrank, and himself and Jer Garvan finished a quart betune them.

The Purcell Papers — Volume 3 Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu 1843

Nellie Guire, at the cross-roads, wants to send you four pair of stockings she knitted for you, and I have a keg of potteen of Barney's own making this two months, not knowing how to send it.

Charles O'Malley — Volume 1 Charles James Lever 1839

"Not when you bid me wake, sir; and there's a nice fire ready for you, and as fine a dhrop o '_potteen_ as ever tickled your tongue, sir."

Handy Andy, Volume 2 — a Tale of Irish Life Samuel Lover 1832

"That's no rule," said Goggins: "the Lord Chief Justice always goes to bed, they say, with six tumblers o 'potteen under his belt; and dhrink it myself."

Handy Andy, Volume 2 — a Tale of Irish Life Samuel Lover 1832

"Who got the conviction agen the potteen last sishin?" said the voice in the crowd.

Handy Andy, Volume One A Tale of Irish Life, in Two Volumes Samuel Lover 1832

Bad luck to it for potteen-work every day it rises! only for it, that couple's poor orphans wouldn't be left without father or mother as they were; nor poor Hurrish go the gray gate he did, if he had his father living, may be; but having nobody to bridle him in, he took to horse riding for the squire, and then to staling them for himself.

The Ned M'Keown Stories Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of William Carleton, Volume Three William Carleton 1831