Dope
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "dope" was once a common word for soda pop or soft drink. The name came from Coca-Cola’s early formula, which included coca leaf extract.
#SouthernWords #Appalachia #FoodandDrink #OldTimers #Southern
synonyms: soft drink, soda pop, sodie pop
Hillbilly Dude Says...
I know RC Cola is the 'standard', but we'd always get a Moon Pie and a Pepsi 'dope.' It's more of an old timer word now. Hillbilly Dude Says...
I know RC Cola is the 'standard', but we'd always get a Moon Pie and a Pepsi 'dope.' It's more of an old timer word now. Pronunciation
[DOH-ep]
/do̞ʔp/
/do̞ʔp/
Meaning & Usage
- A soda pop (regional use) (noun)
Mae:
Want anything while I’m out?
Want anything while I’m out?
Earl:
Yeah - bring me a dope.
Yeah - bring me a dope.- Coca-Cola or Pepsi by name (noun)
Mae:
You want sweet tea?
You want sweet tea?
Earl:
Naw, just a Pepsi dope.
Naw, just a Pepsi dope.variations: cold dope
★ "Dope" didn’t mean drugs in this case - it was playful slang for Coke or Pepsi. In some towns, the whole word for soda was just "dope." ★
Origin and Etymology
The nickname comes from Coca-Cola’s original 19th-century formula, which contained coca leaf extract. Southerners took to calling it "dope," and the term stuck for soda in general across Appalachia and the South.
Usage Notes
Still remembered in Appalachian and Southern families. Though less common today, older folks may still say "Pepsi dope" or "Co-Cola dope." Outsiders rarely know the term in this sense.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "dope." Sometimes stretched: "dohhhp."