eightball n.
1. the colour, black, of the ball in pool.
(a) a derog. term for an Afro-American, a black person.
 | Fifth Div. Diamond 13 June 8: ‘Eight Ball, did you remark that strange cemetery [...]?’ ‘Ah ain’t seen it afore.’ [HDAS]. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Walls Of Jericho 144: Sho loves to make this eightball – jes’ like punchin’ you in d’ nose. | |
| ‘Merry Clouters’ in Fellow Countrymen (1937) 397: The Merry Clouters ought to become a sort of viligance committee and run all the eight-balls out of the park. | |
| ‘Designations for Colored Folk’ in AS XIX:3 174: The DAE does not list such vulgar synonyms for Negro as [...] eight-ball. | |
| Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960) 300: ‘Hello, eight ball,’ Louie said to Dusty. ‘Hi, ugly!’ Dusty said. They called each other nigger and dago and spick; but that was just among themselves. | |
| Blues Fell this Morning 80: Contemptuous terms [for blacks] that have long been used [...] ‘eight-ball’. | |
| Who is Teddy Villanova? 135: I never could tell one eightball from another. | |
| (con. 1931) Irving L. Allen Lang. of Ethnic Conflict 46: Color Allusions, Other than ‘Black’ and ‘Negro’: eightball [1931. An allusion to the black color of the pool ball]. | |
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Lowspeak. |
(b) excrement, a turd.
| Online Sl. Dict. 🌐 crank an Eight Ball v 1. to defecate. (‘I just cranked a mean eight ball!’). |
2. (also eightball holder) an incompetent; a fool [sinking the eight ball out of turn will lose the game].
| Low Company 253: Shubunka lay on the bed and remembered the cruelty of the streets, the gang fights [...] Eight Ball, the boys called him, or Nigger or Coke or Dopey Schmugguggle. | |
| G.I. Laughs 98: ‘Whatcha lookin’ so dreamy about, Eightball?’ asked Corporal Bragger. | |
| (con. 1944) Big War 272: Eschelman was the worst eight-ball in the whole First Division. | |
| M*A*S*H 164: I’ve got orders for you two eightballs to ship out of here. | |
| Stand (1990) 56: If he had another couple of uppers, he could climb neatly on top of this eight-ball that wanted to run him down. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | About Face (1991) 145: [...] eight balls a cunning topkick was trying to unload. | |
| A Steady Rain I ii: denny: I ask her doesn’t this eightball ever go home? | |
| ‘Pure’ in Love Without 163: All the motel boyfriends and eight-ball holders I’d let into my ‘lower portal.’. |
3. a conventional, law-abiding person.
| Beat Generation 101: It’s kind of lonely being the eight-ball. |
4. (US drugs) in drug uses.
(a) an eighth of an ounce (3.5g) of a drug.
| Drug Agent 51: An eightball is an eighth of an ounce [of cocaine] [HDAS]. | |
| (con. 1964-65) Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 141: He’s probably slammed himself too hard [...] and is lying out cold somewhere with my eight ball in his pocket. | |
| 8 Ball Chicks (1998) 106: An ‘eight-ball’ is slang for 3.5 grams of coke. | |
| (con. 1981) Dorian 197: In that case you had better furnish me with an eightball of your soi-disant crack. | |
| Luck in the Greater West (2008) 7: An oz [i.e. of amphetamine]? [...] Best i can do is a couple a eight balls. | |
| Frank Sinatra in a Blender [ebook] he’s stopped at his dealer’s and got an eightball of premium cocaine. Way beyond his price range for three and a half grams under normal circumstances. | |
| OG Dad 89: Hobnobbing with Pepe and red at the corner of Balloon and Eightball. | |
| Straight Dope [ebook] He had a macchiato with two extra shots [...] but it might as well have been an eight ball of coke. |
(b) a ‘cocktail’ of crack cocaine and heroin.
| Good Cop Bad Cop 95: He is doing Eight Balls, parachutes, cocaine, and heroin. | |
| ONDCP Street Terms 8: Eightball — Crack mixed with heroin. | |
| Dreamcatcher 7: Half a dozen guys at the bar and another half a dozen shooting eightball in the back. |
5. (US black, also eight) Olde English 800, a popular beer in black neighbourhoods.
| Central Sl. 21: eightball Old [sic] English malt liquor. [Ibid.] 69: eight [...] Dude be actin like that cause he got all that eight in him. | |
| ‘Gangsta Gangsta’ 🎵 Drinkin straight out the eight bottle. | |
| 🎵 I gotta take one o’ them long 8-Ball pisses . | |
| Hip-Hop Connection Aug. 21: 8-Ball Another phrase with multiple meaning [...] 8-Ball is [...] an abbreviation of Olde English 800 beer — a popular hip-hop alcoholic beverage (i.e. it tastes like cat’s piss siphoned through a dog’s arse). | |
| Rope Burns 199: The riots officially began [...] with five young black males who stole several bottles of 8-Ball, Olde English 800 malt liquor, from a liquor store at Florence and Dalton. |
6. (US prison) a clique of prisoners, or an eight-year term.
| Other Side of the Wall: Prisoner’s Dict. July 🌐 Eight Ball: (1) A prison click [i.e. ‘clique’ or gang]. (2) An eight-year term. |
In phrases
in trouble.
| N.Y. Amsterdam News 5 Mar. 17: [T] male of the species would eventually land up behind the eight-ball. | |
| ‘Poison Payoff’ Hollywood Detective Dec. 🌐 Dan Turner on this end [...] the guy you tried to shove behind the eight ball a while ago. | |
| ‘Back Door Stuff’ 25 Mar. [synd. col.] Until the negro gets social equality, he’ll be the man behind the 8-ball. | |
| Doing Time app. C 207: [B]ecause I’m right behind the 8 ball, I’ve got to keep my nose clean at all times. | |
| (con. 1973) Johnny Porno 203: There were a few things he could do to keep John Albano behind the eight ball. | |
| Split Decision [ebook] I’ve got a problem [...] a problem I don’t know how to solve [...] I’m really behind the eightball on this one. | |
| Adventures of the Honey Badger [ebook] This bloke is behind the eight ball from the start. He’s got the Midas touch in reverse – everything he touches turns to shit. |