gin mill
1
8.8
- noun
- /dʒɪn mɪl/
- Archaic
:
bar
- We often meet at that old gin mill on the corner for cheap drinks and rough music.
Examples
-
After a long week, I like to unwind at the local gin mill with my friends.
-
Hell of a gin mill you got here, Flynn.
-
I always wanted my own gin mill.
-
Now you reporters can go back to the gin mills.
-
Surprised to see you fellas in a gin mill.
-
Stump, feel like crashing a gin mill or two?
-
He's dragged me into every gin mill on the block.
-
His claim to fame rested on a fight at a local gin mill.
Fiction book (2001) -
I was in a stinkin' gin mill where all he had to do to see me was walk in, sit down at the table and buy me a drink.
-
The gin mill was filled with laughter and loud conversations late into the night.
Synonyms
314
5.1
An informal place like a bar or club
155
1.0
A place like a bar where people drink, eat, and talk
111
3.5
A place where people drink alcoholic drinks and often eat, like a bar
75
5.8
A place where people drink alcohol and talk
34
7.9
A cheap, shabby bar with low prices
16
3.4
A bar or pub where people meet to drink and talk
14
4.0
A room where people drink alcohol at a counter
14
9.3
A hidden bar that sold alcohol illegally
2
2.0
A building where people drink alcohol and eat simple meals
2
5.6
A room in a brewery or bar where people buy and drink beer at the counter
1
8.1
A pub or bar where people go to drink
1
3.4
A bar where local people meet to drink and talk
1
8.1
A pub that serves many beers and simple meals
A cheap bar that sells alcohol where people go to drink and talk
A small, rough bar that serves cheap food
A cheap run-down bar where people drink and smoke
How Respectable
Surface Forms
Morphology
gin + mill
The components 'gin' (an alcoholic spirit) and 'mill' (a place where something is produced) together give a clue that the phrase refers to a place associated with gin, so a B1 learner could plausibly infer a drinking venue. However, the slang sense specifically meaning a cheap or disreputable bar and the figurative use of 'mill' are not fully predictable from the parts alone, so full meaning requires cultural or lexical knowledge.
Etymology
Gin mill comes from a simple picture: gin is a strong drink and mill was used like a factory or shop that 'made' or sold gin, so the place looked like a little factory for gin. That's why gin mill came to mean a 'bar' or 'tavern' that is cheap or a bit rough.