popskull
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "popskull" is an old slang term for cheap, harsh whiskey or low-quality moonshine. It’s a vivid warning word for rotgut liquor likely to leave you sick or with a pounding headache.
Kinda like 'sugardhead,' we never heard 'popskull growin' up - but I'm sure they did the next county over! You know who you are. Pronunciation
Meaning & Usage
- Cheap or harsh moonshine (noun/dialect)
Is this the good stuff?No ma’am, that’s popskull - don’t touch it.- Any low-grade whiskey or strong drink (noun/dialect)
He was known for drinkin’ popskull and raisin’ Cain.Origin
From 19th-century American slang, likely "pop" (hit) + "skull" (head), describing whiskey that "hits your head" or "pops your skull." Common in the rural South and Appalachia to label cheap or adulterated spirits. By the 1930s it was a staple moonshine term.
Notes
Once common across the South/Appalachia, now mainly remembered in songs, folklore, and among old-time distillers. Rarely used by younger speakers but still instantly evocative of rough mountain liquor.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "pop-skull." Sometimes spelled "pop skull" or "pop-skull whiskey."