Speakeasy

A Speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition. During this time, the sale, manufacture, and transportation (bootlegging) of alcoholic beverages was illegal throughout the United States.

The term «Speakeasy» might have originated in Pennsylvania in 1888, when the Brooks High-License Act raised the state’s fee for a saloon license from $50 to $500. The number of licensed bars promptly plummeted, but some bars continued to operate illegally. Kate Hester had run a saloon for years in McKeesport, just outside of Pittsburgh. She refused to pay the new license fee and wanted to keep from drawing attention to her illegal business. When her customers got too rowdy, she would hush them by whispering “Speak easy, boys! Speak easy!” This expression became common in McKeesport and spread to Pittsburgh.

An alternative theory is that the term was simply derived from a patron's manner of ordering alcohol without raising suspicion — bartenders would tell patrons to be quiet and «speak easy».

Speakeasies were numerous and popular during the Prohibition years. Some of them were operated by people who were part of organized crime. Although police and agents of the Bureau of Prohibition would often raid them and arrest their owners and patrons, they were so lucrative that they continued to flourish.

Because they were illegal, speakeasies avoided attracting any attention from the police and did not tolerate brawling or violence on their premises.

The term «blind pig» or «blind tiger» originated in the United States in the 19th century; it was applied to lower-class establishments that sold alcoholic beverages illegally. The operator of an establishment (such as a saloon or bar) would charge customers to see an attraction (such as an animal) and then serve a “complimentary” alcoholic beverage, thus circumventing the law.

The difference between a speakeasy and a blind pig was that a speakeasy was usually a higher-class establishment that offered food, music, live entertainment, or even all three. In large cities, some speakeasies even required a coat and tie for men, and evening dress for women. But a blind pig was usually a low-class dive where only beer and liquor were offered.

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Sources:

wikipedia.org

kitandandrew.co.uk