Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 44 with CHRYSTI THE WORDSMITH W I L D W E S T W O R D S Declare something illegal or immoral, and a motley pack of slang words will materialize to follow it everywhere. Marijuana, for exam- ple, acquired a host of slang names after it became illegal in the U.S. in 1937. Passed from early 20th century jazz musicians to jivesters to hipsters to hippies, marijuana slang is colorful, lively and fugitive in origin. Speculation surrounds the etymology of many terms associ- ated with cannabis and its consumption. Here is a marijuana glossary in brief: Reefer (marijuana cigarette), first cited 1937, possibly from Central American Spanish grifa, "drunk, intoxicated." Ganja (a preparation of Indian cannabis), 1800, from the Hindi word for the plant. Pot (cannabis), 1936. e most popular (but unconfirmed) theory has the word a derivative of potación de guaya, "drink of grief," supposedly denoting a concoction of wine or brandy in which marijuana buds were steeped. Toke (to inhale a marijuana cigarette), 1952, possibly from Spanish tocar, "to touch" or "get a part of." Doobie (marijuana cigarette), 1967. Origin unknown. Roach (the butt of a reefer), 1935, perhaps a reference to its brown and stubby resemblance to a cockroach. Bong (a water pipe for smoking marijuana), 1971, from the ai word for a tubular section of bamboo. Joint (marijuana cigarette), 1935, perhaps from the notion of something smoked in common or "jointly." Bogart the joint (reluctant to share the reefer with others), 1969, from the image of chain-smoking Humphrey Bogart forever dan- gling a cigarette between his lips. Marijuana (a preparation of cannabis), 1874, origin uncertain. Some trace it to a Chinese word for the plant, ma ren hua; others point to the colloquial Spanish way of saying "Chinese oregano" — mejorana chino. e Bantu word for cannabis is ma-kaña; perhaps African Angolans enslaved by the Portuguese brought the term to Brazil. Or it could be simply a conjoining of two Spanish names, Maria and Juana. Cannabis, 1687. e Latin word for the hemp plant. [See article on Marijuana in Montana, page 88] S PA R R O W LIZ LARCOM Sparrow is the generic name for a variety of small, common birds found the world over. ese hardy little creatures have adapted to almost every type of environment, flourishing in prairie, marsh and desert. Even one of the New Testament gospels alludes to the ubiquity of the sparrow; in the book of Matthew, Jesus asks, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?" About 50 species of sparrow are native to North and South America, with such charming names as fox, vesper, black-chinned, and golden- crowned. e house sparrow, a common year-round resident in Montana, was introduced to North America from Europe in the mid-1800s. Import- ed to the New World to eradicate a larvae that was defoliating elms on Manhattan Island, the several pairs of European house sparrows released there are the ancestors of the millions now spread across the continent. Sparrow is a word of considerable antiquity, first appearing in print in the 12th century. It derives from the Old English word spearwa, meaning "flutterer," and was applied by speakers of the language to any small, flutter- ing bird. e French call the creature moineau, or "monk," evoking the sparrow's dull plumage that resembles a monk's robe. M A R Y J A N E , E T . A L .

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