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Synonyms

knockout drops

American  

plural noun

  1. chloral hydrate or any similar rapidly acting drug, especially one put in a drink secretly to make the drinker unconscious.


knockout drops British  

plural noun

  1. slang a drug secretly put into someone's drink to cause stupefaction See also Mickey Finn

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of knockout drops

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

But Frank Brooks wasn't full of knockout drops this time, and with a clear head he was no pushover.

From Deadly City by Fairman, Paul W.

After it was all over, and most everybody that counted had swallowed knockout drops, Marjorie gives me a sidelight on what's been runnin' through her head.

From Torchy by Brehm, George

"The same old knockout drops, sir, that sailors in all parts of the world know so well, sir, I think," answered one of the men, with a quiet grin.

From The Submarine Boys and the Middies The Prize Detail at Annapolis by Durham, Victor G.

He never saw a bludgeon in his life; and he scorned knockout drops.

From Strictly business: more stories of the four million by Henry, O.

The old Bowery, where they used to take your tintype by force and give ye knockout drops before having your palm read, is now called the Wall Street of the island.

From Sixes and Sevens by Henry, O.

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