“Tokyo”, Cocaine & Those Peaky Blinders – The Feedback
Posted: January 17th, 2015 | 11 Comments »I blogged a while back about the word “Tokyo” as slang for cocaine and its use in 1920s London in the second series of Peaky Blinders. It wasn’t a term I was familiar with and asked China Rhyming readers if it was an actual term from the time or just an invention of the scriptwriters? You didn’t disappoint – some responses:
probably e a custom mix from one of the Chinese drug dealers broadly speaking a mix of coke strychnine amphetamine and morphine.
Tokyo rose was cockney rhyming slang for nose, which would make sense…..
Cockney rhyming slang – Cocaine ==> Coke ==> Toke ==> Tokyo
one of the first chemists to synthesize methamphetamine was Japanese. In the series Tommy points out to Arther that Tokyo is used on race horses. I believe that “Tokyo†is slang for any kind of speed.
And, seemingly definitively, from some who’s father was a Bobby (cop) in the 1950’s, in London, and who’s Granddad was a Bobby in the 1920’s. Both spoke Cockney fluently, Tokyo was the slang for Coke, Meth, too much sugar… Pretty much anything that gave you crazy energy!
Perfect – exactly the info I was after!!
Tokyo is the pink colored special k….. used on horses probably references that its aninal tranquilizer
I am the real Thomas Shelby I have been in hiding since the whole police problem, I am a man who has moved into the local area, and im having a house warming party of which I will be inviting some local adults
Thank you for this thread I love pesky blinders and this thread deserves some proper recognition. THUMBS UP
Cockney is a London thing. If the cockneys in London called it Tokyo…then The brummies would have had their own name for it. Its not a rhyming slang thing!
Zeph, I would imagine they picked it up or discovered of it in London and carried the nickname back North.
When the Shelby’s first visit London we get the first glimpses of white lines being snorted in the club they attend.
Of course, Tokyo Rose was from WWII, so that association with cocaine taken through the nose would have come long after the Peaky Blinders’ time. It would be anachronistic to have that derivation as early as the 1920s.
Tokyo rose has absolutely nothing to do with rhyming slang, cocaine or pesky blinders. I assume you are a fat yank who knows nothing of our fair isle, I doubt you even own a passport
Theory- as cocaine was legal in the UK until 1920. Arthur would probably have known about it. So, Meth was created by a Japanese chemist in the year 1893. So it could in all likelihood be a reference to that. Brits used quite a few references to Japan throughout history. Getting Shanghaid for example
These comments became progressively more insightful. #9 about meth makes sense. And thus maybe they called all speedy drugs Tokyo.
And meth burns he didn’t acknowledge like it burned but the Tokyo reference makes sense towards meth.
But meth you do nt use as often either
I’ve been an addict and purveyor of both.
Could be a mixture too
That’s pretty awesome actually lmao