Coke

[James C Stalker]

Jonathan Lighter writes:

> 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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> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: RonButters at AOL.COM
> Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Re:=20=A0=20=A0=20=A0=20Re:=20COKE=20in=20the=20M?
> = =?ISO-8859-1?Q?aryland?=
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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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James C. Stalker
Department of English
Michigan State University