as in alcohol
illegally produced liquor
college students secretly mixing up a batch of white lightning in the school lab
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Recent Examples of white lightning
Don’t let the green mist tinged with white lightning and rotating cosmic orifices fool you, however: Ingesting psychedelic drugs is not recommended before watching this film.
—
Katie Rife, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2025
Above the patch is another white lightning bolt.
—Omari Sankofa Ii, Detroit Free Press, 1 Nov. 2021
One, the stereotype is as dated as Moon Pies and white lightning.
—Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 11 June 2020
Katie Rife, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2025
Above the patch is another white lightning bolt.
—Omari Sankofa Ii, Detroit Free Press, 1 Nov. 2021
One, the stereotype is as dated as Moon Pies and white lightning.
—Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 11 June 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for white lightning
Noun
-
Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which can dehydrate you.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
24 July 2025
-
The cafe aims to provide a relaxing environment without caffeine or alcohol.—
Kirby Adams,
The Courier-Journal,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
Ozzy does his thing, making the music, playing the music, and staying off drugs and booze; Sharon does hers, managing Ozzy’s career, managing Ozzy, making the business decisions, counting the money, looking after Ozzfest, looking after Ozzy.—
Erik Hedegaard,
Rolling Stone,
22 July 2025
-
Gasoline turned out to be more efficient and better for engines, so ethanol mostly ended up in solvents and booze.—
Michael Grunwald
July 21,
Literary Hub,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
Instead, the Channel Orange vinyl never materialized (until now), and fans were left to sort through various unofficial and bootleg releases.—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
26 June 2025
-
Audrey visited boxes in Apple Valley and Minneapolis, and while the former was full of bootleg DVDs, the latter was down to two VHS tapes.—
Audrey Kennedy,
Axios,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“White lightning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/white%20lightning. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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