Definition:
: a drink of liquor taken to counteract the effect of fog or dampness
Example:
"O yes, famous of a rainy morning, Mr. Sergeant! A mighty antifogmatic. It prevents you the ague, Mr. Sergeant; and clears a man's throat of the cobwebs, sir." – Peter Horry & Mason Weems, The Life of General Francis Marion, 1860.
About the Word:
A travel book, written in the beginning of the 19th century, provides a mention of antifogmatics, along with a short list of other types of drinks that were supposedly enjoyed by the residents of the state of Virginia at that time.
In addition to the drink meant to counteract the fog, there were gum-ticklers ('a gill of spirits, generally rum, taken fasting'), the phlegm-cutter ('a double dose just before breakfast'), and the gall-breaker ('about half a pint of ardent spirits'). Somehow, none of these names have survived into the lexicon of modern cocktails.
