an illegal pub, or someone usually just selling beer out of their hut
an illegal tavern selling home-made liquor (originally Irish slang)
an illegal, unlicensed bar or club
Gaelic term meaning “little shop,” coined by early Irish policemen in Cape Town. Illegal establishments which sold alcohol (in various home-brewed forms, known as “utshwala” or “kaffir beer”; as well as the more colloquial “isikilimikwiki,” or “kill me quick”) to black South Africans. Early in the 20th century, the South African government attempted to control access to beer by establishing a monopoly on the product and specifying that it could only be consumed in municipal beer halls. Shebeens, often held in black homes and usually sponsored by women, were the underground answer to this and similar decrees. They featured entertainment in the form of music and musical theater, as well as (of course) dancing (and services). Shebeen performers were classified by the South African government as “vagrants” and thus denied professional status. The shebeens were a frequent site of underground political activity.
Chiefly in Ireland and Scotland, a shebeen is an illicit bar or club where excisable alcoholic beverages are sold without a licence. Shebeens are also common in southern Africa where they are run by local people. In Namibia, such an establishment is known as a Cuca Shop.