revenuer en · NOUN
Etymology
From revenue + -er, reflecting the U.S. Treasury Department's former Bureau of Internal Revenue (a predecessor of the IRS and ATF), because the administrative mechanism for enforcing Prohibition originated in excise tax administration; Wikipedia gives details at Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives § History.
Meanings
-
(US, historical, regional) A government official who enforces laws prohibiting the illegal distillation of alcohol.
‘Mister, if yo're another revenuer, I kin tell ye y'aint gonna leave this valley alive.’
1970, Donald Harington, Lightning Bug:I don’t know, but I should start by gettin’ me a rifle: we got the reveneurs a-comin’.
2020 April 28, Kimberly Altamirano, “CPAPs, Hickeys and Biscuits” (0:20:03 from the start), in Lynda Tarryk, director, The Conners, season 2, episode 19 (television), spoken by Dan Conner (John Goodman), United States of America: Mohawk Productions / Sara + Tom, via ABC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| revenuers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
moonshiner · shiner · smuggler · bootlegger · rum-runner