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worm noun In moonshining, the long, bent or coiled copper pipe attached to the cap of a still or cooker and then submerged in cold water, causing vaporized alcohol to condense. [DARE labels this usage “chiefly South, South Midland, especially southern Appalachians”]

1883 Zeigler and Grosscup Heart of Alleghanies 362 The men worked in the light of the furnace fire, and talked in loud tones above the noise of the running water flowing down troughs into the hogshead, through which wound the worm from the copper still. 1914 Arthur Western NC 273 When a sufficient quantity has been produced, the mash is removed from the still, and it is washed out, after which the “singlings” are poured into the still and evaporated, passing through the worm a second time, thus becoming “doublings,” or high proof whiskey. 1967 Williams Moonshining in Mts 13 A copper coil made of tubing or retrieved from an old-fashioned water heater is a suitable “worm.” a1975 Lunsford It Used to Be 79 The worm is the copper pipe crooked around, possibly ten feet long. They bend it around a log or something to give it the proper curve. It’s about eight to ten inches across and stands up about two and one-half feet high in a coil. The worm is put down in a keg and it is run out the bottom of the keg at the cover end. There is a spout that carries the water from a nearby branch or spring to pour into this keg to keep that worm cool. The worm is attached to the shank that’s fastened to the cap of the still, and this cap is set on the still. c1999 Sutton Me and Likker 106 = a copper coil usually 48 feet long if you are running a big rig—a big rig is a still that will hold anywhere from 300 to 600 gallons.