barrelhouse

English

Etymology

From barrel +‎ house. Originally used to refer specifically to a bar that served whiskey directly from the barrel.

Noun

barrelhouse (plural barrelhouses)

1. A rough and tumble drinking establishment.
   • 2008 January 14, Ben Ratliff, “Jazz Showcase Fever Propels a Mini Marathon”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     It’s beautiful, but never naïvely so; the pastoral moments were offset by barrelhouse intrusions.

2. (music) A loud, percussive type of blues piano suitable for noisy bars or taverns.
   • 1969, Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, New York: Bantam, 1971, Chapter 18, p. 111,^[2]

     A barrelhouse blues was being shouted over the stamping of feet on a wooden floor. Miss Grace, the good-time woman, had her usual Saturday-night customers.

Synonyms

• (drinking establishment): juke, juke joint

See also

• honky-tonk
• roadhouse