Tweaking out

[Erik Hoover]

Tweaking has an elctronics use, but also is an insider term for the
methamphetamine experience.  This latter use would contribute to a
blend like 'tweaking out'.

Erik
On Mar 15, 2007, at 2:21 PM, Landau, James wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Landau, James" <James.Landau at NGC.COM>
> Subject:      Tweaking out
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>
> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/
> 2003618824_harding15m.ht
> ml
> <quote>
> Clark County sheriff's deputies responded to two calls early Sunday
> involving infamous figure skater Tonya Harding, who was described in
> police reports as "very agitated" and "tweaking out."
> <snip>
> Later the same morning, about 9 a.m., police received another call
> regarding Harding, this time from a friend who told authorities the
> skater was "tweaking out, seeing animals." The caller said Harding was
> staying with her and was not violent. She said she worried about
> her own
> children's welfare.
> </quote>
> Google has 24,600 hits for "tweaking out" and 1.35 million for
> "freaking
> out", which may be the original phrase.  Of the 24,600, some refer to
> electronic phenemona.
> Considering that the unnamed 9 a.m. caller had legitimate reason to
> fear
> for the safety of her children if not herself, we have something
> that I
> do not recall seeing before in ADS-L:  a stress malaprop.
> UrbanDictionary.com at
> http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=3DTweaking+out gives
> the
> definition as "Suddenly getting really kick-ass and unbeatable in
> Smash
> Bros. due to some unknown source of adrenaline or many hours of
> practice."  Duh?
>       - Jim Landau=20
>
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