All over the world, stoners and cannabis enthusiasts are coming up with their own creative names for their joints. While many of these names are synonyms for one-and-the-same manifestation, there are some really unique names that do not refer to the same thing. In this blog we are going to discuss and elaborate on a number of these common names. We will try to answer as many questions as possible such as; where does this name come from? How was this name coined? What form does it take? Often one of the distinguishing factors is the way a joint is rolled.
Different names for joints:
- Joint
- Bogie
- Blunt
- Dutchie
- Cone
- Bifter
- Spliff
- Zuen
- Doobie
- Dutch Roll
- Sticky
- Marijuana cigarette
- Creative shapes
Joint
Joint is the umbrella name familiar to almost everyone in the world. Sometimes "joint" is also abbreviated as J: "jay". Joint is often used to refer to the cone-shaped, smokeable, cigarette paper-twisted way of consuming cannabis. In fact, the first thing you think of when smoking cannabis. Joint includes all forms of smoking weed twisted with liquid whether with or without tobacco. The name joint most likely comes from the fact that smoking a joint is often done in company. In other words, join me for a joint!
Join Verb: to take part in a collective activity
Bogie
In the United States, the term bogie is often used for a joint. It probably comes from the name of the actor Humphrey Bogart, who often starred in films with a cigarette between his lips. The soundtrack of the 1969 film Easy Rider also includes the track "Don't Bogart me" with the ironclad lyric "Don't bogart that joint my friend. / Pass it over to me."[6]
Blunt
A blunt is a cannabis-filled cigar. A blunt is usually filled with pure cannabis and no tobacco added. Originally, blunts were made only from tobacco leaves. Nowadays there are also blunt wraps that are not made from tobacco, but for example hemp or corn husks. The name "blunt" was a popular abbreviation for cigars from the Philllies brand that, at the time (1980s), sold a particular cigar that was ideally suited for making cannabis cigars.
Dutchie
Dutchie comes from the Dutch who are known for their clogs, windmills, weed and "coffeeshops". It could also be a blunt made from a "Dutch Masters Cigar". We have not yet found out why you should pass the Dutchie to the left hand side.
Cone
A somewhat well-filled joint often takes on the shape of a cone because of the narrower tip and the twisting technique used. Especially in Australia, "cone" is often used to refer to joints. "Want to smoke a few cones mate?"
There are now even filters with activated carbon in them, shaped like a cone, to make twisting a nice cone-shaped joint even easier.
Bifter
Bifter, bifta and biffo are all slang from the Liverpool area. They are both used for a cigarette and a cannabis cigarette.
Spliff
A spliff is the joint we Western Europeans light up most often. It is a joint twisted with rolling papers and tip containing a mix consisting of marijuana and tobacco. A notable fact is that this name was first recorded in Kingston, Jamaica in 1936. Except that Jamaicans themselves would never light up a "spliff" with tobacco in it. This is because it goes against their Rastafarian beliefs: consuming tobacco, alcohol or other hard drugs is considered unclean and unnatural [1].
Zuen
Zuen is a good example of a creatively found name for joint. Indeed, it is derived from the French pronunciation of the word joint. Zuen pronounced zjwen has claimed its well-deserved place among the street slang spoken by young people [3].
Doobie
Doobie is a tricky one, as there is a lot of discussion online about where the name comes from. Since we don't know what the real answer is, we have identified the most likely theories [4][5].
- It is traced from the word dubious which is strange or questionable in English.
- It comes from the popular hippy rock band from California, The Doobie Brothers.
- Based on a quote from a children's show from the 2nd half of the 20th century called "Romper Room." In this show, the mascot Mr. Do-Bee gave children advice on what to do and what not to do to adhere to etiquette rules. For example, "Do Bee good boys and girls for your parents!"
Dutch Roll
An Dutch Roll or Inside Out Joint, is a joint in which the rolling papers are placed inside out before the weed or hash is added. This way, the sticky edge comes right where the rolling papers overlap. The idea behind an insi twist is that less fluid is used, as the remaining portion is torn off or sometimes burned. This would ensure that the taste experience is better. In addition, you smoke less flow.
Sticky
True hip-hop fans have long known where the name sticky originates. The buds of good weed are bursting with sticky trichomes, which are so sought after. Sticky or sticky icky was first used in 1999 by west-coast hip-hop legends E-40 in "Do What You Know Good" & Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg in the beloved song "Still D-R-E." You can probably hear the song playing in your head after just reading the title [2].
Marijuana cigarette
Because a joint, like a cigarette, is a
, you can't really tell from a distance exactly what someone is holding. Is it a cigarette, a fag, or a joint after all? Many older smokers still sometimes refer to a joint as a fun cigarette. People in countries such as the United States also use the term marijuana cigarette. During the rise of jazz clubs in 1920, the even older designation jazz cigarette or jazz cigarette arose. These clubs were the chosen place to purchase these swinging cigarettes.Creative shapes
Apart from the chosen material to spin the joints with or what exactly is or is not added, there is also the possibility of rolling special shapes. Of course, all these creative joints are all given their own names. Just to name a few; the tulip, a twister, the pipe joint and last but not least the crossjoint. If you want to know how to roll one of these yourself, click on the link above for a detailed explanation. Tip: just to be sure, make sure you have plenty of rolling papers in stock!
Synonyms for joints
In summary, the message is clear, there is certainly no shortage of synonyms for the word joint for now. We have only seen the tip of the iceberg in this blog. Thus, all cannabis enthusiasts in every friend group in every country have their own invented and used synonyms. As long as everyone ultimately understands that the plan is to enjoy our favorite plant.
Sources:
- [1] Spliff. 21 mei 2021. Ensie. https://www.ensie.nl/woordenboek-van-populair-taalgebruik/spliff
- [2] Sticky-icky. Ganjapreneur. https://www.ganjapreneur.com/vocab/sticky-icky/#:~:text=What%20does%20%E2%80%9CSticky%20Icky%E2%80%9D%20mean,released%20in%20November%20of%201999.
- [3] Zuen. Osman. 8 jan 2016. Betekenis-definitie. https://www.betekenis-definitie.nl/zuen
- [4] Why…doobie. Quora. https://www.quora.com/Why-is-a-marijuana-joint-or-blunt-called-a-doobie
- [5] Romper Room. Wikipedia.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romper_Room
- [6]Oxford English Dictionary https://www.oed.com/dictionary/bogart_v