Green’s Dictionary of Slang

hors d’oeuvres n.1

[SE hors d’oeuvres, the first dish of a meal, usu. of mixed items and intended to whet the appetite; a prelude to stronger, more exotic pleasures]

(drugs) barbiturates or amphetamines.

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[US]E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 168: Other expressions likened Seconal to [...] ‘food’ that nourishes you – [...] hors d’oeuvres (so called because they are served at parties and other social events).