An example of how people never
say what they mean, This example is drawn from the many
euphemisms for the
contraband substance known as
cocaine.
The drug has been known as;
Krell probably comes from the name Johann Krell who is attributed the invention of the refrigerator, a link to the Ice euphemism.
It turns out that Chang is one of the
oldest words for cocaine, dating from
the 1920s.
In 1922, there was a moral panic in the
press about young flappers taking cocaine
at illegal London jazz clubs. (Newspapers
latched onto the story after a nightclub
hostess died of a gak overdose.)
The papers claimed that London's cocaine
was controlled by a sinister Chinaman
known as "The Dope King". The Chinaman's real name, believe it or not, was "Brilliant Chang".