Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kill-the-beggar

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.16 in modern English

Syllables: kil-l-the-beg-gar
IPA

24

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

5

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Cheap and poor-quality whiskey.

Obsolete; Slang; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"In your examination of Monday, you spoke of kill-the-beggar-whiskey; has any analysis been made of that whiskey?"
"To men of common gumption, / Hot strange, besides, must seem / At this time any scheme / To put a check upon potheen's consumption, / When all are calling for Irish Poor Laws! / Instead of framing more laws, / To pauperism if you'd give a pegger, / Don't check, but patronise their "Kill-the-Beggar!" / If Pat is apt to go in Irish Linen, / (Buttoning his coat, with nothing but his skin in) / Would any Christian man -- that's quite himself, / His wits not floor'd, or laid upon the shelf --, While blaming Pat for raggedness, poor boy, / Would deprive him of his "Corduroy!""
"The quality of the liquor served in the spirit grocers was poor and often adulterated, said [John] Edgar. He gave an example of a whiskey known as 'kill the beggar' in Belfast because 'it first makes the beggar and then kills the beggar'. There was an even worse concoction called 'corduroy', so named because it gave a rough feeling on the tongue and palate."

Etymology

From kill + the + beggar.

Usage

Frequently Paired Words

corduroy

Questions

What does kill-the-beggar mean?: Cheap and poor-quality whiskey.
Where does kill-the-beggar come from?: From kill + the + beggar.

How to pronounce kill-the-beggar

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