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Raiders
Sep 21, 2023 20:24
8 mos ago
64 viewers *
English term

raciest

English Medical Medical (general)
We have been able to buy aspirin and paracetamol over the counter for some time now, but in 1996 restrictions on the sale of ibuprofen - the newest, raciest painkiller - were relaxed...

what do you understand by "raciest"? Many thanks in advance.
Responses
3 +6 hot thing
3 +5 enticing
4 more potent
4 -2 Painkiller that that acts faster/more competitive

Discussion

Maria G. Grassi, MA AITI Sep 22, 2023:
Daryo I got the same exact feeling that Daryo describes.
If the author had simply wanted to state that this new drug was faster-acting or more potent than the other painkillers on the market at the time, he would have chosen a more medically appropriate or simply neutral term, not one whose first and main meaning has a sexual connotation.
Daryo Sep 22, 2023:
This sounds like having been written from the perspective of some enthusiastic pill popper, NOT like a neutral "medical text" written by an MD.

And in actual fact it is:

Confessions of a ten-a-day man
William Leith used to take painkillers morning and night - for the headaches he had and the headaches he worried he might get....

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2003/apr/26/health.healt...

notice the date of publication: Sat 26 Apr 2003 16.43 BST

Responses

+6
31 mins
Selected

hot thing

Please note that I am not a native English speaker.

In my opinion, the fact that “raciest” is paired with “newest” reveals that the author means to say, with an undertone of irony/sarcasm, that ibuprofen at the time was seen as the newest hot thing on the market of painkillers - with painkillers being a category of drugs that sometimes tends to be overused.
Therefore, I believe that he deliberately chose an adjective with a sexual connotation to suggest that people were lusting after this new substance.
Peer comment(s):
agree Sara Mahran
2 mins
Thank you
agree philgoddard
6 hrs
Thank you very much
agree Daryo : But there is no "irony/sarcasm" in the ST, only the delight of a pill popper **lusting after this new substance** (you got that bit right)/ the whole context i.e. the whole ST can be found with a 15 sec web search - no need to assume or presume anything..
11 hrs
Thank you! From the brief passage I didn’t get the fact that the author was suggesting how HE was feeling about it. I thought he meant in general the reaction of people who abuse painkillers, not necessarily himself.
agree Clauwolf
14 hrs
Thank you!
agree Christopher Schröder : Coolest, most attractive
15 hrs
Thank you very much! I wanted to write “hot thing” slash “coolest”, but then I thought - Okay, that looks odd - and just left the first :D
agree British Diana : In the text it would be "hottest painkiller" without "thing"
3 days 10 hrs
Thank you, Diana, I took this liberty as the question was more about getting the concept, but you are very right :)
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
-2
36 mins

Painkiller that that acts faster/more competitive

You can check this website for more details:
https://www2.proz.com/kudoz/english-to-spanish/medical-pharm...
Peer comment(s):
agree liz askew : agree wholeheartedly
29 mins
Thank you
disagree philgoddard : The answer to the previous question was wrong.
6 hrs
Can you elaborate on your point?
disagree Daryo : Fits in the whole ST like a square peg in a round hole.// The ST is NOT about competition between pharmaceutical companies.
10 hrs
disagree Christopher Schröder : No // Racy doesn’t mean fast it means cool
15 hrs
Can you elaborate on your point?
Something went wrong...
+5
39 mins

enticing

Raciest is the superlative form of 'racy', which has several meanings. To be on the safe side, I suggest 'enticing' as a synonym, though it could easily mean something else.

1
a
: full of zest or vigor
b
: having a strongly marked quality : PIQUANT
a racy flavor
c
: RISQUÉ, SUGGESTIVE
racy jokes
2
: having the distinctive quality of something in its original or most characteristic form
racily /ˈrā-sə-lē/ adverb
raciness /ˈrā-sē-nəs/ noun

Stimulating to the mind or senses, typically in a pleasant way

https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/another-word-for/racy.html
Peer comment(s):
agree Daryo : "(more) stimulating to the mind or senses, typically in a pleasant way" - that's how a pill popper would see it!
11 hrs
Thank you, Daryo :-)
agree Yvonne Gallagher : It's really not the right word in the context but "most alluring" probably best
11 hrs
Yes, I agree that's it's not the most appropriate word. Thank you, Yvonne :-)
agree Lingua 5B
12 hrs
Thank you, Lingua 5B :-)
agree Sara Mahran
17 hrs
Thank you, Sara :-)
agree KATHLEEN KILLING, M.D.
10 days
Something went wrong...
1 hr

more potent

That's how I understand it ("fast-acting" could be a component)
Peer comment(s):
agree Marga Shaw : Yes "exciting, more potent ..." Interesting read: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2003/apr/26/health.healt...
11 hrs
Thanks, Marga!
disagree Christopher Schröder : No, racy doesn't mean that
14 hrs
In this context it could, IMO.
neutral Daryo : "more potent" is true, but when you take into account the worldview of the person speaking you see that "racier" is used to put the emphasis is **on s.t. else**, i.e. the subjective perception of the speaker. See the ST.
21 hrs
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