Mountain Dew
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "mountain dew" originally meant homemade moonshine or illicit whiskey. Long before the soda, it was a colorful nickname for corn liquor brewed in the hills.
You'll hear moonshine described as all kinds of things around here, including 'mountain dew' You'll hear moonshine described as all kinds of things around here, including 'mountain dew' Pronunciation
Meaning & Usage
- Homemade whiskey or moonshine (noun/dialect)
What’s in that jug?A little mountain dew - smooth as silk.- Brand name soft drink (noun/modern)
You want a soda?Yeah, grab me a Mountain Dew.Origin and Etymology
From 19th-century Scottish and Irish ballads using "mountain dew" as a poetic term for illicit whiskey. Adopted in the Appalachian Mountains to mean local moonshine. The soft drink trademark "Mountain Dew" appeared in the 1940s in Tennessee, originally marketed as a mixer for whiskey.
Usage Notes
Still widely recognized in the South/Appalachia as a moonshine nickname among older generations. Younger folks mostly think of the soda, but the original meaning lives on in folk songs, jokes, and local lore.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "mountain dew." In older speech, often drawn out: "mountain doo."