blue ruin

‘tell us who the devil ye all are, and what business ye have here, rigged off like the foul fiends, and swilling the snug blue ruin stowed away for the winter by my honest shipmate, Will Wimble the undertaker!’

1835, Edgar Allan Poe, King Pest

‘As soon as this "sentiment" had been duly drunk, and Mr. Bagshot had dried his tears and applied himself to his favourite drink,--which, by the way, was "blue ruin,"--the work of division took place.’

1830, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford Ch. XVI

SIR DEATH is a grim old fellow ; Yet rather facetious at times, When "blue ruin" makes him mellow, And he chants his Stygian rhymes.

1841, Thomas Noel, Rymes and roundelayes, page 197

"Blue-ruin!" exclaimed Josiah, in amazement. "It's another name for cold gin," replied Constable Giblet...

1873, J. Fogerty, Lauterdale, page 17

The fighters joined their admirers in lushing Blue Ruin, which was just another name for Daffy, or gin, and Heavy Wet, which was ale.

1996, A. J. Liebling et al., A Neutral Corner: Boxing Essays, page 35

For a nation to wait in a market of heavily reduced prices for the still lower prices of blue ruin, even if it could wait, would be economic suicide...

1921, Elbert E. Stevens, Labor digest, page 21

But, Sir, hon. members of the government, led by that old knight of blue ruin, have done something infinitely worse than cry blue ruin.

1908, House of Commons of Canada, Debates: Official Report, page 398

I was amused at the hon. Minister of Justice telling the hon. leader of the opposition that he was preaching blue ruin now. A few years ago the hon. minister himself was preaching blue ruin. The people of this country should understand that when one party is in power it is all lovely with them, and the other party is preaching blue ruin. I know that the gentlemen forming the ministry, and their supporters, always preached blue ruin until they got into power...

1899, Senate of Canada, Debates of the Senate of the Dominion of Canada, page 1161