shebeen

noun

she·​been shə-ˈbēn 

chiefly Ireland and South Africa

: an unlicensed or illegally operated drinking establishment

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

For the benefit of patrons who may have entered the shebeen late, Greitens is accused of carrying on with a woman to whom he is not married. —Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 8 Feb. 2018

The shebeen queens were some of the most powerful people in the community. —Beth J. Harpaz, chicagotribune.com, 1 Mar. 2018

Rhythms of Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana; lyrics of township romances, girls sashaying to get water, rowdy shebeens. —The Economist, 1 Feb. 2018

It was outlawed by the authorities, so the brew itself--and the culture of drinking it in shebeens [illicit bars or clubs], while dancing and singing--became a form of resistance. —Pelican Bomb, NOLA.com, 17 Jan. 2018

The Committee was worried this week that the news was so damned grim that finding a Top Commenter of the Week would be a slog through the shebeen’s collective neuroses, which are many and varied. —Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 26 Jan. 2018

As is their wont, The New York Times and most of the rest of the elite media concentrated first and foremost on how this budget will increase The Deficit, thereby standing in naked violation of the shebeen’s First Law of Economics. —Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 13 Feb. 2018

While huddled over a fire in an oil barrel in the center of the shebeen’s function room, The Committee members knew that the winner probably would come from the news that The Girl With The Faraway Eyes was, well, eying a comeback. —Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 5 Jan. 2018

The shebeen queens were some of the most powerful people in the community. —Beth J. Harpaz, chicagotribune.com, 1 Mar. 2018

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Word History

Etymology

Irish síbín illicit whiskey, shebeen

First Known Use

circa 1787, in the meaning defined above