loop, n.² — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

loop n.²

1. a fig. circle of information; usu. in phr. in the loop/out of the loop.

1982		W. Safire What’s The Good Word? 52: The people at the power center have already adopted the White House favorites — ‘in the loop,’ for those privileged enough to be ‘copied’ by receiving copies of memoranda, and the ‘power curve.’.
1989		A. Vachss Hard Candy (1990) 99: When I had that name I was out of the loop. Safe.
1998		L. Stringer Grand Central Winter (1999) 141: I had inadvertently maneuvered myself out of the loop.
2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 166: Mr. Hoover knows everyone. The people he knows comprise quite a loop.
2001		I. Rankin Falls 314: The hacks who’re not in the loop, they’re keenest of all.
2008		T. Piccirilli Fever Kill 109: Tucco’s tech whiz kids weren’t really in the loop.
2009		P. Temple Truth 106: ‘I heard about Lovett. Grace Lovett.’ ‘Before me,’ said Villani. ‘I heard ten minutes ago.’ ‘Out of the loop’.
2010		K. Richards Life 80: I was well out of the loop then, i was a yokel compared to Mick, in a way.
2012		L. Jose ‘Underhooks’ in Crime Factory: Hard Labour [ebook] I don’t remember you from before. But I’ve been out of the loop.
2015		I. Welsh Decent Ride 201: Right, Terry, just keep ays in the loop. Anything ye hear.
2017		D. Winslow The Force [ebook] ‘e invited you to this briefing as a courtesy and to keep you in the loop’.
2018		C. Hammer Scrublands [ebook] ‘But the presence of the ASIO agent, Jack Goffing, must leave him feeling out of the loop’.
2022		A. Kirzman Giuliani 132: OEM was designed to keep all the departments in the loop in situations like this.

2. a short pornographic film.

1984		J. Ellroy Because the Night 135: ‘Sherry, I'll be frank. I produce high-budget adult films. [...]’ ‘Yeah, and this is perfect because before I did loops’.
1997		A. Frewin London Blues 12: A porno pic. A blue movie. A stag. A smoker. A loop. Call it what you will.
2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 227: ferrer compiles film footage, compiles it into pornographic ‘loops’ & sells said ‘loops’ out of the hunky Monkey Bar.
2010		(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 196: ‘What’s a loop?’ ‘An eight-to-ten-minute film they use in the sex joints’.

3. (US black) sex involving several males and a single female.

2000

Ebonics Primer at www.dolemite.com 🌐 loop Definition: when more than one nigga bang a girl. Example: Man we ran a loop on the bitch last night.

4. (S.Afr. drugs) the plastic container for the heroin-derivative drug sugars n.

2006

Mail & Guardian 21 Apr. 🌐 [Sugars] comes wrapped in bin-bag plastic, tied into small Aids-ribbon-shaped ‘loops’ from which a user can get four or five hits. A loop costs between R10 and R35. [It is] smoked by inhaling the vapour when it is burnt on tin foil.

In compounds

loop droop (n.)

(US black) the long jacket that forms part of a zoot suit n. (1)

1943

D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam Star-News 24 Apr. 11: That is what is called the loop droop to go along with the zoot suit with the reet pleat.

In phrases

down on the loop for lunch

see down on the loop for lunch under lunch n.

out of the loop

(orig. US) not in on a secret, or unaware of what’s going on.

1987		Atlanta Journal/Constitution 25 June 23/ 1: No one can stop it; in computer language, people are out of the ‘loop,’ or the decision making process.
1995		M. Dibdin Dark Spectre (1996) 9: Maybe a dollar was the price Kevin was prepared to pay to get his little squirt of a brother out of the loop for fifteen minutes.
2003		T. Dorsey Stingray Shuffle 45: This out-of-the-loop, can’t-see-the-front-of-the-line shit is making me crazy!

SE in slang uses

In phrases

go through the loops (v.)

(Aus.) to become angry or overwrought.

1942

Mercury (Hobart, Tas.) 20 July 3/4: The Wogs won’t eat [the fish] as they reckon the pool is scared. The Wogs go through the loops when we pinch them and curse up and own. But who cares?

on the loop

wandering around; thus take it on the loop, to leave.

1919		A. Baer Knitting Honors 3 Jan. [synd. col.] While the Kink was trying to dope that one out Woody took it on the loop.
1927		C. Coe Me – Gangster 167: I’m on the loop from a long ways off.

put the loop on (v.) [image of a lasso]

(US) to capture.

1927

D. Hammett ‘$106,000 Blood Money’ Story Omnibus (1966) 323: I [...] came in to make sure there’ll be nothing between me and the blood money when I put the loop on this Papadoodle.

throw for a loop (v.) [var. on knock for a loop under knock v.]

to disturb one, to worry one considerably, to put one off one’s stride.

1963		G. Lambert Inside Daisy Clover (1966) 44: Now she was thrown for a loop.
1976		R. Price Blood Brothers 199: Every once in a while something would come [...] that would throw Tommy for a loop and a half.
1979		G. Swarthout Skeletons 9: It threw me for an absolute loop.
1995		M. Dibdin Dark Spectre (1996) 58: I frowned. Once again he’d thrown me for a loop.
2001		Week (US) 29 June 19: The idea of wrinkled people having sex just throws them for a loop.

loop n.2

In compounds

In phrases

SE in slang uses

In phrases

loop n.²