Definition

Noun: 1. A surreptitiously drugged drink, especially one intended to incapacitate the drinker: A "Mickey Finn" is a slang term for a beverage, typically alcoholic, into which a drug (such as a sedative or knockout drops) has been secretly added to render the drinker unconscious or highly intoxicated, often for the purpose of robbery or other illicit activity.

Usage

The term is used almost exclusively in informal or criminal contexts to describe the act of drugging someone's drink. - It is typically used with an article ("a," "the") or a possessive determiner ("his," "her"). - The phrase often appears in the construction "to slip someone a Mickey Finn."

Examples

• Noun:
  • The detective warned her never to leave her drink unattended at the bar, for fear someone might slip her a Mickey Finn.
  • In the old crime novel, the villain used a Mickey Finn to knock out the security guard.
  • He woke up with a terrible headache and an empty wallet, suspecting he'd been given a Mickey Finn.

Advanced Usage

• "To slip someone a Mickey": A common shortened, colloquial variant of the full phrase.
  • I think that bartender slipped me a Mickey; I don't remember anything after one drink.

Variants and Related Words

• Mickey (n): A common shortened form of "Mickey Finn."
• Knockout drops (n, plural): The substance (often chloral hydrate) used to prepare a Mickey Finn; a direct synonym for the drug itself rather than the doctored drink.
• Spiked drink (n): A more general, modern term for a drink that has been tampered with, often with drugs or additional alcohol.

Synonyms

• Drugged drink
• Spiked drink (though this can imply other substances besides knockout drugs)
• Slipped a mickey (verb phrase)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To slip someone a Mickey (Finn): The standard idiomatic verb phrase meaning to secretly give someone a drugged drink.
  • The classic scam was to befriend a sailor, slip him a Mickey Finn, and steal his pay.

Noun

1. slang term for knockout drops