Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US campus) a comb. form that indicates an obsessive, one who is extremely interested in or overly fond of something, e.g. health-freak; esp. with regard to one’s favourite drug, e.g. coke-freak etc.

1906		ref. in H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 154: The oldest of these seems to be camera freak, dated to 1906 by a correspondent of William Safire’s (New York Times, 2/15/81).
1912		Mackirdy & Willis White Slave Market 192: ‘[G]et busy and stop the “rings” and the frauds on the people by the “bosses” and “dollar freaks” that “run America, and leave us stray women to toil out our account on earth’.
1946		B. Ulanov Duke Ellington 270: ‘I’m a train freak,’ Duke says.
1957		C. Himes Imabelle 28: ‘A stockin’ freak,’ one said.
1959		C. Himes Crazy Kill 74: Acey-Deucey’s poolroom. He’s a pool freak.
1965		C. Himes Rage in Harlem (1969) 29: [as 1957].
1967		H.S. Thompson letter 13 May in Proud Highway (1997) 610: Painted red, white and blue by a dope freak that I hired.
1969		R.R. Lingeman Drugs from A to Z (1970) 97: freak [...] one who prefers a certain kind of drug [...] by extension one who is obsessed with a certain way of thinking as in ‘political freak’.
1970		K. Mackey Cure 43: [This] dope freak of a boy who had once made him proud with feats of bat and ball.
1972		Oz 15 in Hudson Lang. Teenage Revolution (1983) 44: He was a coke freak.
1973		in C. Browne Body Shop 92: He was a study freak, so it was always [farm] work or study.
1977		C. McFadden Serial 18: Ms Murphy was ‘a film freak’.
1979		Jay & Young Gay Report 595: ‘I am a closet bondage freak. I enjoy being tied up and often masturbate his way’ [Simes:DLSS].
1981		A.K. Shulman On the Stroll 207: Maybe he was a bondage freak?
1981		M. Baker Nam (1982) 91: I was one of the biggest pot freaks that you’ve ever seen.
1981		W. Russell Educating Rita II i: We had this lecturer though, he was a real Blake freak.
1987		C. Hiaasen Double Whammy (1990) 158: A Bahamian crack freak had carved up his male roommate.
1987		Campaign Sydney) Jan. 106: [personal advert] I love uncut meat! Are there any other foreskin freaks who’d like to correspond, exchange photos..or uncut action?
1979		Sydney Morn. Herald 28 Aug.12s/3: He becomes embroiled in some very sordid folderol with assorted weirdos, including a spunky bondage freak, Debbie Harry [Simes:DLSS].
1993		A. Rodriguez Spidertown (1994) 94: His ‘best friend’ was a fire freak.
1997		Mad mag. Apr. 7: For all I know she may have been a closet bondage freak and got turned on by the abuse.
1997		C. Hiaasen Lucky You 10: Is she a Jesus freak? Because I’m in no mood to be preached at.
1998		L. Stringer Grand Central Winter (1999) 157: I mean you couldn’t accuse me of being a neatfreak, but it’s not unhygienic.
1999		Indep. on Sun. Culture 3 Oct. 8: Sporty is a wholesome exercise freak.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 389: Jeff Silver was being a shithead power freak.
2000		Hip-Hop Connection Jan./Feb. 96: You ain’t nothing but a fucking rock freak!
2000		G. Pelecanos Shame the Devil 149: Nick’s a Dodge freak, man. He’s got an old Mopar from the sixties that he babies.
2001		A. Schulman 23rd Precinct 97: She often scrubs down the bathroom with ammonia and cleans sinks, stalls, and showers. ‘I can’t help it. I’m a neat freak’.
2003		P. Corris Master’s Mates 2: ‘Stewart never had anything to do with drugs — He’s a health freak’.
2006		C. Hiaasen Nature Girl 122: She’s a crank freak.
2008		T. Piccirilli Fever Kill 130: ‘Who are you trying to keep out?’ ‘Jesus freaks and kids selling magazine subscriptions.’.
2012		C. Stella Rough Riders 164: The guy is a neat freak [...] everything was in its place, nothing out of order.
2015		J. Stahl OG Dad 128: I don’t want to come off like some kind of whining [...] panic freak.
2025		C. Stella Rapino/Amato 107: [A] bit of a neat freak [he] hated seeing dirty dishes in the sink.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1970		T. Southern Blue Movie (1974) 54: It was through these portals, and past this boss-freak vigilance, that Boris and Sid had made their way.
1986		C. Hiaasen Tourist Season (1987) 233: He would humble them all: the arrogant Indian, the stoned-freak nigger.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 175: He said that Keva, the music freak kid next door to whom he’d taught a few basic guitar chords, could look after his record collection.
2010		L. Redhead Thrill City [ebook] Mark and his neat-freak wife were still angry about the ‘incident’.