mahogany reef n. a place where alcoholic drinks are served, especially in a seaside community. Editorial Note: This is a jocular expression associated with sailing and fishing. It is sometimes used as the name of an actual drinking establishment, but it is often capitalized even when it is not. A similar term in skiing is mahogany ridge ‘the last ski run of the day,’ which is also often used as the name of drinking establishments. Another nautical variant is rum squall ‘a euphemism for a session of alcohol drinking, after a fanciful weather formation said to prevent a quick return to shore.’ Also, among sailors rum historically has been called close-reef. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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After our conversation about the expression dingle day, a term used by workers at a research station in Antarctica to denote bright, sunny weather, a listener offers a possible explanation for this term. It may derive from the idea of the skies...