Blind Pig
Pat from Elk Rapids
asked about the establishment known as a blind pig. It was known as a blind
tiger in the south, and it was also referred to as a hole in the wall
elsewhere.
The whole thing was a
ruse to sell alcohol illegally. There actually was no animal involved, maimed
or not. The fiction was that the customer was paying to see an exotic animal
and was given a complimentary drink while viewing it. The adjective blind was
probably used because law enforcement officers often turned a blind eye to the
enterprise – for a consideration.
A reference to blind pig
may be found in 1857. It appeared on page 182 of the May 23 issue of Spirit of Times:
“I sees a kinder pigeon-hole cut in the side of a house, and over the hole, in big writin’, ‘Blind Tiger 10c a Sight.’ Says I to the feller inside, ‘here’s your ten cents. Walk out your wildcat.’ I’ll be dodbusted if he didn’t shove out a glass of whiskey. You see, that blind tiger was an arrangement to evade the law, which won’t let them sell liquor there except by the gallon.”
“I sees a kinder pigeon-hole cut in the side of a house, and over the hole, in big writin’, ‘Blind Tiger 10c a Sight.’ Says I to the feller inside, ‘here’s your ten cents. Walk out your wildcat.’ I’ll be dodbusted if he didn’t shove out a glass of whiskey. You see, that blind tiger was an arrangement to evade the law, which won’t let them sell liquor there except by the gallon.”
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