chain lightning

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chain lightning

noun

Canada, US, uncountable Lightning in angular, zigzag, or forked flashes. smart as chain lightning (sharp-witted)
US, attributive, especially, uncountable (A person or thing that is) very fast and dynamic. Hettie was chain lightning with a six-shooter.
US, obsolete, slang, uncountable A high-proof whiskey or other spirit that has not been allowed to mature; a poor-quality or adulterated spirit. Give me a meetin where nobody cares a snap of a finger for nobody in particular, and has no interest but in a good feed, a good song, a good smoke, and chain-lightning to top it all off with.
Similar: hooch, moonshine, red-eye, rotgut, squirrel whiskey

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MLA

"chain lightning." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/chain%20lightning. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

chain lightning. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/chain%20lightning

Chicago

"chain lightning." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/chain%20lightning.

BibTeX

@misc{chain_lightning_2026,
  title = {chain lightning},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/chain%20lightning},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}