poppy n.1
1. (drugs, also poppy powder, poppy seed) opium; thus laudanum [prior 17C–19C use was literary SE, e.g. Shakespeare’s ‘Not Poppy, nor Mandragora’ in Othello (1604)].
| [ | ![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Comfortable Lodgings I i: Some poppy concoction – no, no! – I’ll not touch your narcotic]. |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 4 Feb. n.p.: Puff some laudanum into her tea and she will go to bed with poppy. | |
| Sun (NY) sec. B 11 Sept. 12/5: She’s a regular opium fiend [...] She can’t stop the poppy powder. | |
| God’s Man 398: Nice and warm and full of poppy. | |
| Dope 87: Her first introduction to opium-smoking was made under the auspices of an American comedian [...] an old devotee of the poppy. | |
| To Kiss the Crocodile 326: The terrible dream, born of his poppy inhalations. | |
| Gangster Girl 7: For Silk Freeman was a ‘hop-head’. The thrill of the exhilarating poppy had him clutched. | |
| Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 180: poppy opium. | |
| USA Confidential 124: For white men who desire a whiff of the poppy there are four opium dens. | |
| (con. 1950s) Unit Pride (1981) 27: Between their teeth the men held long-stemmed pipes which probably held a ration of the poppy seed which grew among the hills. [Ibid.] 337: ‘What the hell are you doin’, Bob?’ I asked finally. ‘Mixin’ a little poppy seed with the tobacco.’ ‘Have you flipped your lid?’ I asked [...] ‘I just touch off a charge once in a while. You oughta try it.’. | |
| Gonif 19: Dammit, Red, do I look like a poppy carrier? | |
| Right As Rain 118: The poppy will give him two crops a year, twice what he’ll get from his single crop of coffee beans. | |
| Empty Wigs (t/s) 216: Fortified by brandy and poppy, they played cricket in summer: ochre and cobalt striped blazers. |
2. attrib. use of sense 1.
| Confessions of a Detective 180: The latter had orders to keep his cashier guarded, until sufficiently recovered from his poppy-sleep to answer questions. | |
| Dope 88: How glad I am to welcome you to our poppy circle. | |
| Seattle Star (WA) 25 Sept. n.p.: Charlie Chung [...] in possession of ten cards of smoking opium, four opium pipes amnd other poppy paraphernalia, [...] was arrested. | |
| Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 180: poppy alley An opium district. poppy head An opium addict. poppy train Opium. |
3. (also poppy dust) heroin.
| Damned and Destroyed 165: Moss would enter the wash-room and pick up the heroin package [...] but the Back Man had wasted no time devising a new [...] method of connecting for his priceless poppy-dust. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Poppies. Heroin. |
In derivatives
under the influence of opium.
| Marvel 12 Nov. 8: Just as you meant to do it on us with this black bottleful of poppied sleep. |
In compounds
1. a general insult implying stupidity [ety unknown, ? the perceived 'stupidity' of flowers; a link to sense 1, i.e. one who is rendered stupid through drug use, would seem too early].
| St Giles and St James I 4: ‘What’s the matter?’ ‘Poppy-head!’ ‘Any of your bad language and I shall lock you up’. |
2. (US drugs) an opium addict.
| Narcotics Lingo and Lore. |
In phrases
addicted to opium.
| Narcotics Lingo and Lore. |