COKE in the M aryland

[Jonathan Lighter]

In theory. But most people still learn the meaning of "coke" (the soft-drink plant's product )long before they learn the meaning of "coke" (the coca plant's product).  So "coke" is presumably more strongly imprinted in their vocabularies than is "coke."

As for "dope," one assumes, perhaps less confidently, that "dope" (fool) comes earlier than "dope" (illicit drugs).  Furthermore, "dope" (specif. "marijuana") is so common a term nowadays that to refer to the drink in that way would be discordant.  "Coke" (the drug) interferes less because expensive, more strongly tabooed, and less common on campus.

JL

RonButters at AOL.COM wrote:
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In a message dated 3/4/05 10:57:07 AM, wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM writes:


> "Coke" for soft drinkin general is alive and well in East Tennessee.=A0 It=
is=20
> virtually the only word I hear for it.
>=20
> The synonymous "dope," however, seems to be on the way out used anymore -=20
> perhaps for obvious reasons.
>=20

I'd think that the same "obvious reasons" might apply as well to "coke"?


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