Addicts Who Survived: An Oral History of Narcotic Use in America before 1965

Glossary

Glossary What follows is a glossary, not a complete dictionary; no attempt has been made to give all possible definitions for the various drug and underworld terms. The only definitions given are those that correspond to the way in which the terms were actually used in the narratives. There are, for example, at least two subcultural meanings of"acid": 1. bad, adulterated narcotics, and 2. the hallucinogenic drug LSD. Since only the first usage appears in the narratives, only the first definition is given in the glossary. Readers interested in more comprehensive definitions should consult the following: Richard R. Lingeman, Drugsfrom A to Z: A Diaionary, second revised edition (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1974); "Glossary of Addict Argot," in Alfred R. Lindesmith, Addiaion and Opiates (Chicago: Aldine, 1968), 249-66; and J. E. Schmidt, Narcotics Lingo and Lore (Chicago: Charles C. Thomas, 1959). acid: bad, adulterated narcotics. Alvodine: trade name for piminodine esylate, a narcotic analgesic. bag: a portion of narcotics, usually heroin, sold in folded paper or a glassine envelope, e.g., a five-dollar bag. beat: to rob or cheat, especially in a drug transaction. behind: after, especially after using a drug, as in "I felt good behind the shot." bit: a prison sentence. bonita: milk sugar, commonly used to adulterate heroin. bookie: one who organizes and serves as a liaison for illicit enterprises, particularly gambling or prostitution. booking: arranging for others to gamble or have sex with prostitutes. boost: to shoplift. booster: shoplifter. boot: a powerful, euphoric sensation. break: 1. (v.) to quit using drugs; 2. (n.) a period during which drugs are not used. A d d i c t s W h o S u r v i v e d 3 9 4 bring-down: a depressing, annoying, or "square" person or circumstance. broad: a woman, especially a prostitute. bull: a policeman. burned: cheated by the purchase ofbad drugs. bust: 1. (v.) to arrest a person, especially on a narcotic-related charge; 2. (n.) the arrest itself, as in "my third bust." caps: capsules ofvarying size that were once used to sell illicit heroin and, less frequently, cocaine. cheat: to use illicit drugs while in a treatment program. chef 1. (v.) to prepare an opium pipe for smoking, usually by a group of people; 2. (n.) one who prepares same. chemical: 1. bad narcotics; 2. an adulterant put in narcotics. chippying, chippying around: to use narcotics occasionally. clean: not using illicit drugs. coke: cocaine. cokie: a regular cocaine user. coldturkey: abruptly and without any medical assistance, as in "I got busted and had to quite cold turkey." conneaion: source of supply of illicit drugs. cook: 1. to chef, or prepare an opium pipe for smoking; 2. to refine raw opium so that is suitable for smoking; 3. to heat heroin and water until the heroin has dissolved and can be injected. Also referred to as cooking up. cooker: a small container, such as a bent spoon, in which heroin and water are heated until the heroin has dissolved. cop: to buy drugs. cop out: to bargain for a lesser prison sentence. cotton: piece of cotton or cloth used to filter impurities out of the heroin solution before it is injected. croaker: a doctor, especially one who will write prescriptions for narcotics. cut: 1. (v.) to adulterate drugs; 2. (n.) a substance used to adulterate drugs. Darvon: a synthetic narcotic analgesic. deck: a small amount of narcotics wrapped or folded in paper. detox: 1. (v.) to detoxify, or eliminate narcotics and their effects from the system; 2. (n.) the process of detoxification, as in "I went through detox." deuce: two dollars. Dilaudid: a semisynthetic derivative ofmorphine. dirty urine: a urine specimen that tests positive for the presence of illicit drugs. do time: to serve a prison term. dollies: Dolophine tablets. Dolophine: methadone hydrochloride, a synthetic opiate. dope: illicit drugs, particularly heroin. G l o s s a r y 3 9 5 dope fiend: 1. from the perspective of an opium smoker, a lower-class addict who resorts to the needle; 2. any narcotic addict, but especially one who consumes large amounts of drugs. down: 1. hip, cool; 2. close, intimate. drugstorejunk: undiluted prescription narcotics. dry: characterized by a scarcity of drugs, as a dry ye;lr. eighth: an eighth ofan ounce. endorphins: peptides produced within the central nervous system that have effects similar to those of opiates. fol! out: to doze offafter...