Damon
Did I use 'dope' in a wrong way?
A guy from NY told me 'that is dope' means 'that's cool' . The other day, I attended a birthday party for my American colleague and there was a friend of his dancing cool. So I said to him ' you're so dope ' . But the look on his face was not like I was complementing him. But he didn't say anything, so I just want to know did I use it the wrong way?
Nov 18, 2016 11:07 AM
Comments · 8
3
I believe you used it correctly, though it is outdated. It's like saying, "Totally rad!" when that term is no longer popular.
November 18, 2016
3
I think it happens because this guy don't know about slangs.
The word is about drugs or lazy guys. But it also a slang and the meaning can be "adj. cool, nice, awesome".
Cool also can be: awesome / cool / sweet / wicked / sick / epic / dope / bad ass / tight / gnarly / insane / great / fantastic / incredible / the sh*t / bitchin (slightly vulgar)
November 18, 2016
2
"a dope" is a stupid person. This meaning of "dope" is widely known across the world. The person you spoke to may have thought you meant, "you're such a dope" = "you're such an idiot". That's an insult.
I've never heard the word "dope" used as an adjective to be mean "cool" but it may be a modern usage.
November 18, 2016
2
aw jeez
November 18, 2016
1
I think the slang meaning of "dope" has already come and gone. :) Slang tends to go in and out of fashion, so you can't expect any native speaker to accept slang phrases. I can think of a long list of Australian slang which is hilariously out of date.
November 18, 2016
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Damon
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), English
Learning Language
English
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