truth drug
1
5.9
- noun
- /truːθ drʌg/
- Specialized
:
suero de la verdad
- Many people are skeptical about the effectiveness of a truth drug in getting honest answers.
Examples
-
The detective asked for a truth drug during the interrogation to encourage the suspect to speak freely.
-
And in her case they won't need a truth drug.
-
In movies, a truth drug is often portrayed as a way to make someone reveal their secrets.
Synonyms
8
6.7
A drug given to relax someone and make them more likely to say what they know
1
9.9
Using drugs to make a person more likely to tell hidden memories when asked questions
How Disinhibiting
- Specialized
1
5.9
- Specialized
52
6.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a drug that induces people to talk freely or tell the truth' is directly and predictably built from combining 'truth' (truthfulness) with 'drug' (a chemical substance). This noun+noun compositional pattern (a drug for truth) is straightforward and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Truth drug comes from the simple image that a drug might make someone lose their fear and say the truth. So the term means a drug believed to make someone 'tell the truth', but that does not always work.