shebeen means an unlicensed drinking establishment, especially in Ireland, Scotland, and South Africa. It carries an Arena rating of 1756, earned across 13 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, shebeen ranks #755 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,232 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #1,573 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #3,609 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
shebeen is pronounced /ʃɪˈbiːn/.
Why “shebeen” is a great word
An unlicensed or illicitly operated drinking establishment, especially in Ireland, Scotland, and South Africa. Its name is borrowed from the Irish *síbín*, meaning 'illicit whiskey' or 'place where such whiskey is sold,' itself from *séibe* ('mugful'), and first spilled into English in the late 18th century. Unlike a 'pub,' a legal and licensed institution, or a 'speakeasy,' a phenomenon of American prohibition, a shebeen is a more enduring, grassroots rebellion against authority and tax. It is the peat-smoked back room of a cottage, the clandestine hum in a township shack, the defiant glow behind a boarded window—a testament to the universal geography of thirst and the small, stubborn spaces where community outflanks the law.
Etymology
Borrowed from Irish síbín.
noun
- An unlicensed drinking establishment, especially in Ireland, Scotland, and South Africa.e.g.“‘Well, let's line,’ he said to Ben. ‘We can fill up at a shebeen.’” — 1979, André Brink, A Dry White Season, Vintage, published 1998, page 178:
verb
- To operate an unlicensed drinking establishment.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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