Barrelhouses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of establishment, typically a bar or tavern, which serves alcoholic beverages and often features live music or dancing
2. Referring to a casual venue where patrons can gather to drink and socialize, often with a lively atmosphere
3. Describing a place known for its informal setting, where a variety of spirits are sold, and patrons may enjoy performances or entertainment

Etymology: "Barrelhouse" is the older word here; "barrelhouses" is simply its plural. The singular comes from the 19th-century American practice of serving liquor straight from barrels stored in a rough, ground-floor room, and the name for the place was taken from that storage space. By the 1880s the term was attached to cheap saloons, especially in American port and mining towns, where whisky was poured from the cask and drinkers often stood at the bar. The places gained a reputation for rowdiness, and by the early twentieth century "barrelhouse" also described a loud, rollicking style of piano playing associated with the same dives. Barrelhouse blues and boogie-woogie took their name from these rough saloons, so the word moved from the cask to the bar and then to the music played there.

Synonyms: shanties, shacks, huts, booths, cabins