Reefer

A marijuana cigarette, attested in U.S. English from the 1920s. ⚠️ Origin disputed: the OED and most lexicographers favor derivation from Mexican Spanish grifo or grifa ("marijuana; marijuana user"), reflecting the drug's entry via Mexican immigrants. A competing folk etymology links it to nautical reef ("to roll up a sail," with a rolled joint as metaphor). Popularized by jazz-era Black musicians and cemented in mainstream English by the 1936 propaganda film Reefer Madness. Now dated; carries intentional period flavor when used.