Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

chase the dragon

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.12 in modern English

Syllables
chase the -drag-on
IPA
24
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
3
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To inhale the vapor from heated morphine, heroin, oxycodone or opium that has been placed on a piece of foil.

Slang

Etymology

Calque of Cantonese 追龍 /追龙 (zeoi¹ lung⁴), a slang phrase of Cantonese origin from Hong Kong. Chasing refers to the careful movement of the liquid in order to keep it from coalescing into a single, unmanageable mass.

Usage

Inflected Forms

Questions

What does chase the dragon mean?
To inhale the vapor from heated morphine, heroin, oxycodone or opium that has been placed on a piece of foil.
Where does chase the dragon come from?
Calque of Cantonese 追龍 /追龙 (zeoi¹ lung⁴), a slang phrase of Cantonese origin from Hong Kong. Chasing refers to the careful movement of the liquid in order to keep it from coalescing into a single, unmanageable mass.

How to pronounce chase the dragon

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  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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  4. Repeat and practice — Say “chase the dragon” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.