moonshine

/ˈmuːnʃaɪn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmuːnʃaɪn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmün-ˌshīn/ (ame, mw)

moonshine — noun

1. strong alcoholic drink made secretly without legal permission or official contro

1.名詞B2
釋義

strong alcoholic drink made secretly without legal permission or official control.

例句

Leo hid jars of moonshine under the floorboards behind the kitchen stove.

collocation: jars of moonshine

At the border fair, Samir whispered that the old shed sold moonshine after dark.

同義詞
反義詞

文法句型

drink moonshine

a jar of moonshine

sell moonshine

用法筆記

Usually uncountable. Most often used for liquor made in secret and sold outside the law, especially in stories about hidden stills, rural trade, or border smuggling.

常見錯誤

❌They bought three moonshines.
✅They bought three bottles of moonshine.
💡this sense is usually treated as an uncountable drink, so the container is counted, not the liquor itself.

2. speech or ideas that seem absurd, foolish, or too silly to believe.

2.名詞C1
釋義

speech or ideas that seem absurd, foolish, or too silly to believe.

例句

Don't give me that moonshine, Tariq; I saw the email myself.

pattern: give me that moonshine

The mayor's promise sounded like moonshine to everyone in the market.

同義詞
  • nonsense

    the everyday neutral word for foolish talk

  • rubbish

    common British-style dismissal with less literary flavour

  • claptrap

    sharper and more old-fashioned, often for empty public talk

反義詞
  • sense

    reasonable thinking or practical judgment

  • truth

    what is actually correct rather than absurd talk

文法句型

be moonshine

call something moonshine

talk moonshine

用法筆記

Commonly used to dismiss claims, promises, or grand theories as worthless nonsense. This sense is much more old-fashioned and literary than everyday words like 'nonsense' or 'rubbish.'

常見錯誤

❌That was a moonshine.
✅That was moonshine.' / 'That was a silly idea.
💡this meaning is usually uncountable when you dismiss talk or ideas as nonsense.

3. the pale natural light that the moon sends across the night.

3.名詞C2
釋義

the pale natural light that the moon sends across the night.

例句

Yuna read the map by moonshine while the campfire slowly died.

pattern: by moonshine

The wet road shone silver in the moonshine after the storm.

同義詞
  • moonlight

    the normal modern word for this meaning

  • moonbeam

    more poetic and often refers to a narrower beam rather than general light

反義詞
  • darkness

    absence of visible light at night

  • sunshine

    light from the sun rather than the moon

文法句型

by moonshine

in the moonshine

用法筆記

A literary or old-fashioned word for moonlight. In modern everyday English, 'moonlight' is the usual choice, while 'moonshine' in this sense appears mainly in descriptive writing.

常見錯誤

❌We had lunch in the moonshine.
✅We had lunch in the sunshine.
💡this sense refers to light from the moon at night, not daylight from the sun.