blind tiger
(also blind pig)
noun North American informal
An illegal bar.And it planted new trees and grass to provide picturesque views to take the place of the smoky, smelly interior of a blind tiger - views in the Romantic idiom that idealized nature as a setting for polite middle class social interaction....
- While there is no question that corrupt policemen protected tenderloin brothels, ‘blind pigs,’ and gambling dens, the police took their lead from judges as well as ring politicians.
- In 1864, the owner of a blind pig in Manchester, New Hampshire brought a suit to recover money damages for the destruction of his bar.
Origin
Mid 19th century: probably so named to evade prohibition laws, the bars being disguised as exhibition halls for the display of natural curiosities.