roach

roach
   1. the butt of a marijuana cigarette
   I have no plausible etymology:
    The waitress took the roach, sniffed it, and said, 'Thank you, dear. Just what I need.' (Sanders, 1986)
   2. American
   a cockroach
   In a prudish anxiety to avoid any mention of the word cock, rooster-roach was found unsatisfactory and the shortened form roach became a standard usage:
    'He spattered a cockroach with a trifle spoon.' 'That's lovely,' agreed Loretta. 'Except for the roach,' said Sol. (L. Thomas, 1994)
   It is offensive to call an policeman a roach, and dangerous if he hears you.

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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  • Roach — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: AJ Roach, amerikanischer Sänger und Texter Andy Roach (* 1973), amerikanischer Eishockeyspieler Archie Roach (* 1956), australischer Musiker Clifford Roach, karibischer Cricketspieler Danny Roach,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Roach — can refer to:Animals * Cockroaches * Roach (fish), certain members of family Cyprinidae: ** the genus Rutilus , which includes the Common Roach ( Rutilus rutilus ) ** the California Roach of the monotypic genus Hesperoleucus Other * To clip,… …   Wikipedia

  • ROACH (M.) — ROACH MAX (1925 ) Dans l’univers des batteurs, Max Roach occupe une place très privilégiée. On ne lui doit aucune de ces innovations qui bouleversent le monde du jazz, aucune de ces révolutions qui ouvrent grandes les portes de l’histoire. Et… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Roach — Roach, n. [OE. rroche; cf. AS. reohha, D. rog, roch, G. roche, LG. ruche, Dan. rokke ray, Sw. rocka, and E. ray a fish.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) (a) A European fresh water fish of the Carp family ({Leuciscus rutilus}). It is silver white, with a greenish… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • roach — ☆ roach1 [rōch ] n. 1. short for COCKROACH 2. Slang the butt of a marijuana cigarette roach2 [rōch] n. pl. roach or roaches [ME roche < OFr < Gmc, as in MLowG roche, OE ruhha, roach, akin to OE ruh, ROUGH …   English World dictionary

  • Roach — Roach, n. (Zo[ o]l.) A cockroach. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Roach — Roach, v. t. 1. To cause to arch. [1913 Webster] 2. To cut off, as a horse s mane, so that the part left shall stand upright. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Roach —   [rəʊtʃ], Hal, eigentlich Harald Eugene Roach, amerikanischer Filmregisseur und produzent, * Elmira (N. Y.) 14. 1. 1892, ✝ Beverly Hills (Calif.) 2. 11. 1992; kam 1912 zum Film; bekannt durch Komödien der 20er und 30er Jahre, u. a. mit H. Lloyd… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • roach — Ⅰ. roach [1] ► NOUN (pl. same) ▪ a common freshwater fish of the carp family. ORIGIN Old French roche. Ⅱ. roach [2] ► NOUN informal 1) chiefly N. Amer. a cockroach …   English terms dictionary

  • roach — [rəutʃ US routʃ] n [Sense: 1,3; Date: 1800 1900; Origin: cockroach] [Sense: 2; Date: 1100 1200; : Old French; Origin: roche] 1.) AmE informal a ↑cockroach 2.) a type of European fish 3.) …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • roach — [ routʃ ] noun count 1. ) AMERICAN INFORMAL a COCKROACH 2. ) INFORMAL the end of a cigarette containing MARIJUANA 3. ) a fish that lives in rivers and lakes in Europe …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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