What does dexie mean?
"Dexie" is an informal slang term for a tablet of dextroamphetamine, a powerful central nervous system stimulant. The word emerged in mid-twentieth-century English, particularly in Britain and the United States, where such pills were widely known on the street before stricter drug controls took hold. A dexie was typically swallowed to ward off sleep, suppress appetite, or produce a burst of energy and alertness, which made the term common in talk of night shifts, long drives, studying, and partying. The word belongs to the family of drug slang that also produced "uppers" and "bennies", and like those terms it now sounds distinctly dated, evoking the 1960s and 1970s more than contemporary speech. Because it refers to illegal or non-medical use of a controlled substance, "dexie" carries informal, slightly transgressive connotations and would not appear in formal writing except in historical or sociological discussion of drug culture.
nounA slang term for a tablet of dextroamphetamine, a stimulant drug, especially one used illicitly or recreationally.
- A slang term for a tablet of dextroamphetamine, a central nervous system stimulant.
"He popped a couple of dexies to stay awake through the night shift."
"Students in the sixties sometimes relied on dexies to cram all night before exams."
"The customs officer found a tin of dexies hidden in his luggage."
Regular plural, formed with -es; typically used when speaking of multiple pills or tablets.
"She flushed the remaining dexies down the toilet."
Named for chemistry's 'right hand': dexies take their name from dextro-, Latin for 'right', because the drug is the right-handed molecular mirror image of amphetamine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dexie
Dexie derives from "dex(tra)amphetamine" plus the colloquial diminutive suffix -ie. The element dextro- comes from Latin dexter, meaning "right" or "on the right side", referring to the drug being the dextrorotatory — right-handed — isomer of amphetamine. The same Latin root gives English words such as dexterity and dexterous, which originally meant right-handedness and hence skillfulness.
How dexie is actually used
Informal and dated slang, strongly associated with mid-twentieth-century usage; it carries connotations of recreational or non-medical drug use rather than legitimate prescription medicine.
Easily confused with dexie
"Dexy" is chiefly a nickname or short form of the name Dexter (as in Dexys Midnight Runners), whereas "dexie" specifically refers to a dextroamphetamine pill.