Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A place for the illegal sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks, as during Prohibition in the United States.
Wiktionary
- n. An illegal saloon or tavern operated during the Prohibition period in the 1920s.
WordNet 3.0
- n. (during prohibition) an illegal barroom
Examples
“The term speakeasy is far from what I’d call 57 Napoli.”
“We now have "speakeasy" - type establishments all over the country.”
The Huffington Post: Karl Kozel: It's Getting Better All The Time
“Recalling the era, the songwriter Alec Wilder once said, “A pretty girl in a speakeasy was the most beautiful girl in the world.””
“The speakeasy was a substitute for the saloon that would prove to be much more than a saloon.”
“Upstairs hidden away, above a speakeasy was the John Barlett show.”
“Chef Alvin Leung has gone from preparing meals at home for guests to running a private kitchen known as a speakeasy, and then to an upscale showcase in which he has finally hit his stride.”
“A basement under the kitchen, described by Hartzer as "speakeasy" in design, will showcase a chef's tasting room.”
“Moby also appeared at a Wanderlust "speakeasy", as this year's event grew to include a to include a series of TED-inspired lectures on health, wellness, environment, media, cooking and meditation lead by him and other recognizable names like Mariel Hemmingway, and Adrian Grenier.”
“A "speakeasy" sort of joint - getting a reservation at Milk and Honey is not per your standard fare.”
The Huffington Post: Amy Chan: Concrete Jungle - Where to Eat, Stay and Play in New York City
“In fact, a reader informs me that fire marshals recently arrested the proprietor of that "speakeasy" from the final episode of "Pedaling.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘speakeasy’.
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old timey talk
Words or Sayings from the 1920's or whatever that no one really uses anymore (at least in that context).
scram, bearcat, heavens to betsy, dick, double-cross, ducky, gams, goofy, hooch, jalopy, john, joe and 174 more...
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Speak or bespoken
speak, spoke, spoken, bespoke, speak up, spoken for, spokesperson, outspoken, loudspeaker, unspeakable, spokesfish, spokescat and 26 more...
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Jazz Era
Swingin' and boppin' slang-a-lang.
mooche, moocher, kick the gong around, applesauce, the berries, hooch, juice joint, the john, rummy, screaming meemies, daddy, cokey and 65 more...
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easy
creasy, over easy, free-and-easy, greasy, speakeasy, take it easy, weasy, lope, leisurely, wing chair, uncomplicated, luminous and 38 more...
bilby "Once the Xanadu of the Baathist ruling class, the 10-square-kilometer Green Zone, as described by journalist Scott Johnson, is now a surreal theme park of the American way of life:
'Women in shorts and T-shirts jog down broad avenues and the Pizza Inn does a brisk business from the parking lot of the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy. Near the Green Zone Bazaar, Iraqi kids hawk pornographic DVDs to soldiers. Sheik Fuad Rashid, the U.S.-appointed imam of the local mosque, dresses like a nun, dyes his hair platinum blond and claims that Mary Mother of Jesus appeared to him in a vision (hence the getup). On any given night, residents can listen to karaoke, play badminton or frequent one of several rowdy bars, including an invitation-only speakeasy run by the CIA.'"
- 'Return To Sender', Mike Davis, 14 April 2006. Feb 28, 2008
oroboros Probably first ran across this word in my potboiler days. Oct 21, 2007