speakeasy

The Japan Times Sept.12の記事からの引用です。

Behind the ‘closed’ doors of Tokyo’s bars, alcohol is still flowing
A pervasive but hushed rebellion is happening across the city. Whether they accepted subsidies or not, bars operating as semi-secret COVID-era speakeasies are everywhere.

コロナで自粛あるいは禁止されているにもかかわらず内緒ではびこっているのも "speakeasies" なのですね。さて、辞書で確認します。

・Oxford English Dictionary: (during Prohibition) an illicit liquor store or nightclub.: Speakeasies flourished and bootleg liquor flowed freely in many municipalities.

・Collins Dictionary: A speakeasy was a place where people could buy alcoholic drinks illegally in the United States between 1920 and 1933, when alcohol was forbidden.

・Cambridge English Dictionary: a place where alcohol was illegally sold and drunk in the US in the 1920s and 1930s: In major cities, speakeasies could often be elaborate, offering food, live bands, and floor shows.

なるほで、アルカポネの時代に出来た言葉ですね。余り大きな声で話せないからでしょう。