revenuer
English edit
Etymology edit
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 edit
revenuer (plural revenuers)
- (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 edit
- 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.