reefer1

[ree-fer] /ˈri fər/
noun
1.
Nautical. a person who reefs.
2.
a short, close-fitting coat or jacket of thick cloth, similar to a pea jacket.
3.
a woman's tailored, fitted, single- or double-breasted coat of durable material with a collar.
Origin
1820-30; reef2 + -er1

reefer2

[ree-fer] /ˈri fər/
noun, Slang.
1.
a marijuana cigarette.
Origin
1930-35; probably < Mexican Spanish grifa; see griefo

reefer3

[ree-fer] /ˈri fər/
noun, Informal.
1.
a refrigerator, especially one large enough to be walked into.
2.
a refrigerator car, ship, truck, etc.
Origin
1910-15; alteration and shortening of refrigerator
Examples from the web for reefer
  • Same thing with the pills and reefer and acid and speed he'd done in his twenties.
  • Develop procedures to be followed when reefer boxes or trailers are found unlocked.
  • Before securing any reefer compartment, a check shall be made to ensure that no employee remains inside.
British Dictionary definitions for reefer

reefer1

/ˈriːfə/
noun
1.
(nautical) a person who reefs, such as a midshipman
2.
another name for reefing jacket
3.
(slang) a hand-rolled cigarette, esp one containing cannabis
Word Origin
C19: from reef²; applied to the cigarette because of its resemblance to the rolled reef of a sail

reefer2

/ˈriːfə/
noun
1.
a ship, lorry, or other form of transport designed to carry refrigerated cargo
Word Origin
C20: shortened and adapted from refrigerator
Word Origin and History for reefer
n.

"marijuana cigarette," 1920s, perhaps an alteration of Mexican Spanish grifo "marijuana, drug addict" [OED]; or perhaps from reef (v.), on resemblance to a rolled sail. It also meant "pickpocket" in criminal slang (1935). Reefer also was a nickname for "midshipman" (1818) "because they attend in the tops during the operation of reefing" [Century Dictionary], which is the source of the meaning "coat of a nautical cut" (1878) worn by sailors and fishermen "but copied for general use in the fashions of 1888-90" [CD].

reefer in Medicine

reefer reef·er (rē'fər)
n.
Marijuana, especially a marijuana cigarette.

Slang definitions & phrases for reefer

reefer 1

noun

A refrigerated railroad car, truck, ship, etc; freeze: A malfunction in a refrigerated trailer, or reefer, raises the temperature

[1914+; fr refrigerated]


reefer 2

noun
  1. A marijuana cigarette; joint
  2. A person who smokes marijuana; pothead

[1920s+ Narcotics; origin unknown; perhaps originally rifa fr Mexican Spanish grifa, ''marijuana,'' the g lost because it is not aspirated or exploded in Spanish pronunciation and hence not readily heard by English speakers]


reefer 3

noun

A front-page paragraph referring to a story on an inside page: The Times ran a reefer with the new term for ''change of mind'' subtly noted/ The Timeses of New York or LA could produce front pages of refers, meaning concise summaries that resemble the tops of articles (1990s+ Newspaper office)