Rumrunners

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who operate clandestinely to transport prohibited alcoholic drinks, often evading legal restrictions placed on such trade
2. Those who engage in the secretive smuggling of alcoholic beverages, usually as a response to governmental bans on sale and distribution
3. Persons involved in the covert shipment of alcoholic liquids to avoid law enforcement during prohibition periods

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "rumrunners" is how plainly it was built: it is a compound of "rum," the strong spirit distilled from sugarcane molasses, and "runner," meaning one who runs or carries goods, most often illicitly. The image is literal, a person running a cargo of rum past officials, and the term describes exactly that job. The word is the plural of "rumrunner," and its sense was shaped by the era of prohibition. When governments banned the sale and distribution of alcohol, smugglers who carried liquor across borders or along coasts took on the name, so "rum" came to stand for alcohol in general, not only the spirit itself. Because the word is a transparent compound, its meaning follows directly from its parts, and it needs little beyond them to be understood.

Synonyms: smugglers