DCHP-2

booze can booze-can DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• n. — slang, Urban culture, Food & Drink

  an illegal bar, especially one operating in a private home.

  Type: 3. Semantic Change — The term booze can appears to have come into use in written Canadian English in the 1970s (see 1979 quotation). The term appears to be used almost exclusively in Canada (see Chart 1). Within Canada, the term seems to be most prevalent in Central Canada, particularly Ontario (see Chart 2). The semantic transfer from an item (here a beverage container) to the establishment is common.
  See also COD-2, s.v. "booze can", which is marked "Cdn".