speakeasies so their locations would remain
a secret.Speak it!exclam.Say it!; You said it!; That’s
telling them! Speak it, sister! Tell him
off!
speak of the devilin. said when someone
whose name has just been mentioned ap-
pears or is heard from. (A catchphrase.)
And speak of the devil, here’s Ted now.
Speak of the devil, that was Mary on the
phone.
speak someone’s languagetv. to say
something that one agrees with or un-
derstands. I gotcha. Now you’re speak-
ing my language. Mary speaks Fred’s
language. They get along fine.
specs[spEks] n. eyeglasses; spectacles. I
broke my specs. I need specs to find
where I left my specs.
speed 1. n. methamphetamine; ampheta-
mine in general. (Drugs.) Speed is a
monstrous problem in some cities. Kids
think that speed won’t get them into trou-
ble. 2. in. to use methamphetamine; to be
high on methamphetamine or ampheta-
mine. (Drugs.) Kids who speed think
it is a harmless blow-off. If they speed
rather than study—speed is a problem.
speedballn. [in baseball] a fast (pitched)
ball. The pitcher threw a speedball, and
I didn’t even see it! Tom can hit almost
any speedball that Mike can throw.
speed demon 1. n. a fast runner; a fast
driver. Tom is a speed demon. He qual-
ified for the Olympics. Watc h out ,
here comes another speed demon! 2. n. a
habitual user of methamphetamine.
(Drugs.) A couple of speed demons
mugged the old lady. When they are
high, most speed demons don’t know what
they are doing.
speeder 1. n. a speeding ticket. The cop
that gave Mary a speeder Wednesday gave
her another one Friday. Actually, that’s
three speeders in one week counting the
one she got Monday. 2. n. an ampheta-
mine or methamphetamine tablet, cap-
sule, or ampoule. (Drugs. See also
speed.) Somebody dropped some speed-
ers on the f loor of the car, and my father
spazzed out. Fred took a speeder before
the exam, but he went to sleep anyway. 3.
and speedstern. a user of ampheta-
mines or methamphetamine; a person
who is hyperactive from amphetamine
use. (Drugs.) That kid is really hyped
up—must be a speeder. The speeders
can seem crazy when they’re on a run.
speed freak and speedheadn. a drug
user who injects methamphetamine; an
amphetamine user. (Drugs and general
slang.) Hank is a speed freak, but he’s
not on skag. Speed freaks, not heroin ad-
dicts, account for a high proportion of
drug-related crime.speedheadGo to speed freak.
speed merchantn. someone who does
something fast: a runner, pitcher, swim-
mer, driver, etc. Look at her go! What
a speed merchant! What a pitch! That
guy is a speed merchant for sure.speedsterGo to speeder.
spending moneyn. cash, as opposed to
money in the bank. I’m a little short of
spending money at the present. Could I
borrow ten dollars? I don’t have any
spending money either.spewin. to empty one’s stomach; to vomit.
After dinner, I suddenly had the urge
to spew. Fred is up in the john spewing
like mad.
spew one’s guts (out) 1. tv. to empty one’s
stomach; to vomit. Fred is spewing his
guts out because of that lousy fish you
served. He’s spewing his guts because he
has the f lu, cabbagehead. 2. tv. to tell
everything that one knows; to confess
everything. (Underworld.) Lefty was
sitting there in the cop-shop spewing his
guts out about the bank job. If he really
is spewing his guts, the mob will cancel his
Christmas.spiffn. extra money paid to a salesperson
to sell certain merchandise aggressively.
(See also push money.) The manufac-
turer supplied a little spiff that even the
store manager didn’t know about. I got
about $300 last month in spiff for selling
some low-grade shoes.Speak it!