Word.ws English Dictionary

if-by-whiskey

/ˌɪf baɪ ˈwɪski/

if-by-whiskey adjective: that equivocates on an issue while appearing to affirm both sides, by asserting that each is correct depending on which of two stated alternatives is used as the definition of a key term.

Adjective

if-by-whiskey (not comparable)

  1. (US, usually) That equivocates on an issue while appearing to affirm both sides, by asserting that each is correct depending on which of two stated alternatives is used as the definition of a key term.
    • "You a foolin' nary a soul, mister Emil" says Bilky. "I's thinkin' maybe yourin a usin' the If-by-Whiskey defense. […] "2010, Carol Phillip-Tudor, The Boy, The Professor and Ella's Regret, Dorrance Publishing Company (RoseDog Books), page 103

Origin of if-by-whiskey

Refers to a 1952 speech by Noah S. "Soggy" Sweat Jr. during a debate on whether or not Mississippi should legalize alcoholic beverages. He prefaced his qualified agreement with each side in turn with the formula "if by whiskey you mean..." and a definition of "whiskey" crafted to support that side.

Questions about if-by-whiskey

What does if-by-whiskey mean?
If-by-whiskey means that equivocates on an issue while appearing to affirm both sides, by asserting that each is correct depending on which of two stated alternatives is used as the definition of a key term.
What part of speech is if-by-whiskey?
If-by-whiskey is an adjective.
How do you pronounce if-by-whiskey?
If-by-whiskey is pronounced /ˌɪf baɪ ˈwɪski/.

Words near if-by-whiskey in the dictionary

  1. if's, and's, or but's
  2. if't
  3. if, as and when
  4. if-bet
  5. if-bets
  6. if-by-whiskey
  7. if-clause
  8. if-clauses
  9. if-then
  10. if-then statement
  11. if-then statements

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: if-by-whiskey (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-if-by-whiskey.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-if-by-whiskey.wav.

Cite this entry: “if-by-whiskey.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/if-by-whiskey. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.