Scratch
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| - | :''[[Opium of the people|Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, . . . It is the '''opium''' of the people]].'' | ||
| - | ::--[[Karl Marx]] | ||
| - | '''Opium''' ('''poppy tears''', ''lachryma papaveris'') is the dried [[latex]] obtained from the [[Papaver somniferum|opium poppy]] (''Papaver somniferum''). Opium contains approximately 12% [[morphine]], an [[alkaloid]], which is frequently processed chemically to produce [[heroin]] for the [[illegal drug trade]]. | ||
| - | The traditional method of obtaining the latex is to [[scratch]] ("[[score]]") the immature seed pods (fruits) by hand; the [[latex]] [[leak]]s out and dries to a [[sticky]] yellowish [[residue]] that is later scraped off. The production of opium itself has not changed since ancient times. | + | # To [[rub]] a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove [[itch]]ing with [[nail]]s, [[claw]]s, etc. |
| - | + | #: ''Could you please '''scratch''' my back?'' | |
| - | Opium for illegal use is often converted into heroin, which is less bulky, making it easier to [[Smuggling|smuggle]], and which multiplies its potency to approximately twice that of morphine. | + | # To [[rub]] the skin with [[rough]] material causing a sensation of [[irritation]]. |
| - | + | #: ''I don't like that new scarf because it '''scratches''' my neck.'' | |
| - | == Cultural references == | + | # To [[mark]] a surface with a sharp object, thereby leaving a '''scratch''' (noun). |
| - | :''[[Opium and Romanticism]], [[drug culture]]'' | + | #: ''A real diamond can easily '''scratch''' a pane of glass.'' |
| - | === Literature === | + | # To [[remove]], [[ignore]] or [[delete]]. |
| - | + | #: '''''Scratch''' what I said earlier; I was wrong.'' | |
| - | There is a longstanding literary history by and about opium users. [[Thomas de Quincey]]'s ''[[Confessions of an English Opium-Eater]]'' (1822), one of the first and most famous [[Opium and Romanticism|literary accounts of opium addiction]] written from the point of view of an addict, details the pleasures and dangers of the drug. De Quincey writes about the great English Romantic poet, [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] (1772–1834), whose "[[Kubla Khan]]" is also widely considered to be a poem of the opium experience. Coleridge began using opium in 1791 after developing [[jaundice]] and [[rheumatic fever]] and became a full addict after a severe attack of the disease in 1801, requiring 80–100 drops of laudanum daily. [[George Crabbe]] is another early writer who wrote about opium. "[[s:The Lotos-Eaters|The Lotos-Eaters]]", an 1832 poem by | + | #: ''When the favorite was '''scratched''' from the race, there was a riot at the betting windows.'' |
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- To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc.
- Could you please scratch my back?
- To rub the skin with rough material causing a sensation of irritation.
- I don't like that new scarf because it scratches my neck.
- To mark a surface with a sharp object, thereby leaving a scratch (noun).
- A real diamond can easily scratch a pane of glass.
- To remove, ignore or delete.
- Scratch what I said earlier; I was wrong.
- When the favorite was scratched from the race, there was a riot at the betting windows.
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Scratch" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
