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Glite Dictionary
crack kills

crack kills

9.3
A warning slogan saying crack cocaine can kill people
  • idiom
  • NSFW
translation icon : el crack mata
  • The school displayed posters saying 'crack kills' in the main hallway to warn students about drug use.

Examples

  • Public service announcements repeating 'crack kills' appeared frequently on television in the 1990s.

  • She wore a T-shirt with 'crack kills' printed on it as part of an anti-drug campaign.

  • The campaign used the slogan crack kills to warn teenagers.

  • Many public service announcements emphasize that crack kills.

  • Public service announcements repeating 'crack kills' appeared frequently on television in the 1990s.

  • The school displayed posters saying 'crack kills' in the main hallway to warn students about drug use.

  • She wore a T-shirt with 'crack kills' printed on it as part of an anti-drug campaign.

Antonyms

to promote
566 3.2

Help something grow and become more successful

Surface Forms

crack kills singular
crack kills plural

Morphology

crack + kill

The slogan 'crack kills' is directly compositional: 'crack' (the drug) combined with 'kills' (causes death) yields the straightforward meaning 'crack causes death' or 'using crack can be fatal'. It follows a simple subject-verb pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand the warning.

Etymology

Crack kills was used as a blunt slogan in anti-drug campaigns to give a strong, simple warning. By putting crack, the drug, next to kills, the phrase creates a clear image that using it can lead to 'death', so people remember the danger.