English

Noun

brown goods pl ‎(plural only)

1. consumer electronics equipment for entertainment, such as televisions and music centres
   • 1999, Miles, Ian, "Home Informatics: New Consumer Technologies, in eds. William H. Dutton et al., Society on the Line: Information Politics in the Digital Age, page 107

     Electronics capabilities led to the emergence of a distinction between "white goods" (the typically enamelled kitchen appliances such as fridges and cookers) and "brown goods" (such as wood- or bakelite-cased record players, radios, and TVs).

2. unbleached cotton textiles
3. (beverage industry) spirits which are brown in colour, such as whiskey
   • 2012 Dwight B. Heath, Drinking Occasions: Comparative Perspectives on Alcohol and Culture (Routledge, [ISBN 113584187X]) "To every thing there is a season: When do people drink?" p.35:

     In the U.S., there has been a gradual shift from “brown goods” (darker colored drinks, such as whiskey and brandy) to “white goods” (lighter colored drinks, such as gin and vodka).

Related terms

• white goods

See also

• red goods

Translations