tv. & in. and shoot up. to inject drugs, especially heroin. (Drugs.) : He actually had to leave the meeting to shoot.
n. an injection of heroin. (Drugs. Usually shoot-up.) : The way Ernie was yawning, I knew he needed a shoot-up.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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shoot up (on (sth)
in. to inject (a drug). (Drugs. See also shoot.) : He couldn't wait to get home and shoot up.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History
shoot (v.)
O.E. sceotan "to shoot" (class II strong verb; past tense sceat, pp. scoten), from P.Gmc. *skeutanan (cf. O.S. skiotan, O.N. skjota, O.Fris. skiata, Du. schieten, Ger. schießen), from PIE base *skeud- "to shoot, to chase, to throw, to project" (cf. Skt. skundate "hastens, makes haste," O.C.S. iskydati "to throw out," Lith. skudrus "quick, nimble"). Meanings "send forth swiftly" and "wound with missiles" were in O.E. In ref. to pool playing, the verb is attested from 1926. Meaning "to inject by means of a hypodermic needle" is attested from 1914. Meaning "photograph" (especially a movie) is from 1890. As an interjection, an arbitrary euphemistic alteration of shit, it is recorded from 1934. Shooting star first recorded 1593. Shoot the breeze "chat" first recorded 1941. Shoot to kill first attested 1867.
Main Entry: shoot Pronunciation: 'shüt Function: transitive verb Inflected Forms: shot/'shät/; shoot·ing 1: to give an injection to 2: to take or administer (as a drug) by hypodermic needle
Grow or get taller very rapidly, as in She's really shot up in the last year, and now she's taller than her mother. [First half of 1500s]
Riddle with bullets; damage or terrorize with gunfire. For example, I liked the scene in which the cowboy stomps into the saloon, gets drunk, and shoots the place up. [Late 1800s]
Inject a drug intravenously, especially an illegal drug. For example, The police caught him shooting up and arrested him. [Slang; first half of 1900s]