When I use a word . . . The languages of medicines—what street drugs are called

Naming street drugsI have previously discussed the problem of defining a street drug and the difficulties in doing so.12 Surveying what street drugs are actually called is a lot easier.The names of street drugs are slang or colloquial designations that are given to them, usually by people using them and sometimes by law enforcement agents and others. Types of slangMy taxonomy of medical slang includes the following categories3:Abbreviations—shortenings of either single words (e.g. “scope” for colonoscope) or phrases (e.g. “Parkinson’s” for Parkinson’s disease); initialisms (e.g. DNA for did not attend); contractions (e.g. Dr or Mr); and acronyms (e.g. AIDS).Anthropomorphisms, such as “John Thomas” for penis.Borrowings—adopting slang from another area; this can go in any direction (see, for example, Technical terms treated as slang below).Compounding— conjoining two unrelated words to yield a new meaning (e.g. “funny farm”).Euphemisms, e.g. “the big sleep,” “curtains,” and “reached ambient temperature.”History, legends, and fiction, e.g. “Montezuma’s…
Read Original Article: When I use a word . . . The languages of medicines—what street drugs are called »