marching powder

English

Noun

marching powder (uncountable)

1. (slang) Ellipsis of Bolivian marching powder etc.; cocaine.
   • 1998, Mark Chadbourn, Scissorman, Vista, →ISBN, page 25:

     ‘How much did you do last night? Two grams? I like the old marching powder, Jon, but I prefer to give myself a day or two off after a binge.’

   • 2000 December 20, Kurious Oranj, “The Poor Are Getting Poorer.”, in nz.politics‎^[1] (Usenet), retrieved 2022-02-28:

     Maybe Malaysia had less corrupt politicians than Jamaica or Columbia. Maybe the population doesn't spend all day stuffing marching powder up its noses and buckles down and gets some work done.

   • 2001 February 19, Fletcher, “The Poor Are Getting Poorer.”, in rec.audio.pro‎^[2] (Usenet), retrieved 2022-02-28:

     > >> > How many other people on r.a.p. were in a marching band?
     >
     I used to do alot^[sic] of 'marching powder'...and used to work for bands...does that count?

   • 2021 November 29, Ahem A Rivet's Shot, “Droning on”, in uk.rec.sheds‎^[3] (Usenet), retrieved 2022-02-28:

     She said she'd done that and didn't want to do it again - then hootered off to Peru to write a bilingual novel in English and an obscure South American language I'd never heard of and now can't remember the name. Wound up getting rescued from jail there by her fan club (she was a bit fond of the marching powder).

2. A powder such as talcum used in socks to keep blisters from forming.

Related terms

• Bolivian marching powder
• Colombian marching powder
• Mexican marching powder
• Peruvian marching powder

References

• Eric Partridge (2005) “marching powder”, in Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volumes 2 (J–Z), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 1267.
• Jonathon Green (2024) “marching powder”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang