speakeasy

今日取り上げる単語、"speakeasy" は見ただけでは、話方に関する単語の様ですが、次ぎに引用するNEWS IS A VERBの文を読むと別の意味がある事に気がつきます。
Patterson, in fact, had an insatiable curiousity about his readers. He would take the subway to Corney Island and hang around bars and dance halls. He would prowl speakeasies and Broadway joints.
"speakeasies " は "joints" と同様な飲み屋だと推測できます。　辞書で確認します。
・Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: a place where alcoholic beverages are illegally sold; specifically : such a place during the period of prohibition in the United States
An illegal saloon or tavern operated during the Prohibition period in the 1920s. Usage notes: Connotations of a classy establishment - some required coat and tie - compared with a more downmarket blind pig or blind tiger.
違法な店ですか。　語源も気になるのでEtymology Onlineも見ます。
"unlicensed saloon," 1889 (in New York "Voice"), from speak + easy, from the practice of speaking quietly about such a place in public, or when inside it, so as not to alert the police and neighbors. The word gained wide currency in U.S. during Prohibition (1920-1932). In early 19c. Ir. and British dialect, a speak softly shop meant "smuggler's den."
なるほど大きい声で喋ってはいけないのですね。