Comments on: Snow Job

By: Mr Slang

Mr Slang — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 09:48:12 +0000

Below the pertinent GDoS entry (sans citations). As indicated by sense 2, it pretty much starts off non-specific and doesn't make the best of efforts to sort things out. Nothing has changed by sense 6 although the ‘founding’ dope does seem to have been opium. As is so often the case in slang: check the context. As for the beats, the word only appears once in On the Road (or I have only cited it once), and this in the compound, dope addict, where the subject, the junkie Herbert Hunke, is undoubtedly a heroin user. dope n.1 [? SE daub, the axle grease used on wagons or Du. doop, sauce] 1 [early 19C+] (US) (also doup) sauce, gravy. 2 [mid-19C+] any preparation, mixture or drug that is not spec. named. 3 [late 19C] (US) butter. 4 [late 19C–1940s] (US) coffee. 5 [late 19C+] any form of grease, lubricant, coolant etc. 6 [late 19C+] (orig. US drugs) any form of illicit drug; orig. opium, but taking in all popular ‘recreational’ drugs, esp. marijuana. 7 [20C+] (orig. US) any form of medicine or medicinal preparation; thus sleep dope, a sleeping draught or injection. 8 [1900s–10s] (US) constr. with the, the suitable or ideal thing. 9 [1900s–20s] (Aus./US) flattery, foolishness, nonsense. 10 [1900s–30s] (Aus./US) alcohol, esp. whisky. 11 [1900s–40s] unspecified and wide-ranging ‘stuff’, varying as to context. 12 [1900s–50s] a drug addict. 13 [1910s–20s] (US) an otherwise unspecified poison or adulterant. 14 [1910s–20s] (US drugs) a state of drugged intoxication. 15 [1910s–20s] (US) a cigarette. 16 [1910s+] Coca-Cola or any other carbonated drink. 17 [1910s+] molasses, treacle, syrup.

By: Brit

Brit — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:21:16 +0000

On the subject of snow and slang, Malty mentioned the German ‘schnee’, which at my school was slang for a yokel. Can’t explain it.

By: Worm

Worm — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 18:37:09 +0000

Mr Slang, I have a question:

When I’m reading one of those american beat era books that I am apt to read I am always slightly unsure as to the uses of the words dope and blow. Now I am fairly sure dope can mean marijuana, and blow definitely means cocaine, and dope also means heroin…but they all seem so interchangeable. Is there concencus on what is what?

By: malty

malty — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 11:10:36 +0000

Snortingly entertaining Jonathan. The various mountain naming committees have had mixed results with snow, the Savoyards, usually preferring the grand flourish, opted for a simple black and white with the awesome and bloody hard work Peuterey ridge, on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. The Kyrgyzstanies opted for the more graphic approach with Ak-Su in the Pamirs, twin peaks, Snowy Ak-su and Rocky Ak-Su. Jokes about Ak-Su! Ak-Su! all fall down on a postcard please.....