revenuer

English

Etymology

From revenue +‎ -er, reflecting the U.S. Treasury Department's former Bureau of Internal Revenue, because the administrative mechanism for enforcing Prohibition originated in excise tax administration; Wikipedia gives details at Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives § History.

Noun

revenuer (plural revenuers)

  1. (US, regional, now historical) A government official who enforces laws prohibiting the illegal distillation of alcohol. [from 19th c.]
    • 1970, Donald Harington, Lightning Bug:
      ‘Mister, if yo're another revenuer, I kin tell ye y'aint gonna leave this valley alive.’

Usage notes
  • This term is especially associated with the efforts of the IRS to prevent illegal production and distribution of alcohol during the period of Prohibition in the U.S.

See also
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.