Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[existenz]

Ecstasy � or "e" � came out of European clubs in resort locales such as Ibiza in the '80s, and peaked in popularity in the early 1990s, when raves began to infiltrate the night life of Europe's capitals. In the U.S., ecstasy remained common only on the margins of society � in clubland, in gay America, in lower Manhattan. But in the past year or so, ecstasy has returned to the American heartland; and in Europe, it has gone positively mainstream, sampled casually by suburban teens and dot com professionals alike. Established drug-running rings, most of which have their origins in Europe, have taken over the trade.

It's an early-summer morning in the U.S. suburb of Cobb County, Georgia, and 18-year-old "Karen" and five friends have decided to go for it. They skip their first class and sneak into the woods near their upscale high school. One of them takes out six rolls � six ecstasy pills � and they each swallow one. Then back to school, flying on a drug they once used only on weekends.

Can anybody explain to me what the writer meant when he said that this underlined part ?

[obelix]

MDMA (C11H15NO2)
(3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) has been around since at least the late 60's to my personal knowledge.
Back then it was usually pure and any smart chemistry grad could make it. Like many other recreational drugs, if used in moderation, it gives a very pleasant buzz and enhances sexual pleasure.
Unfortunately, nowadays it seems to be rarely pure and may be cut with all kinds of bad s h i t.

[LucentShade]

Existenz--

To add to obelix's explanation, "e" is the slang term for the drug, much like pot/grass/weed are slang terms for marijuana (cannabis). The phrase "flying on a drug" means that they are still feeling the effects of it. In general, English uses the phrase "to be high on [name of drug]" to describe the state of mental alteration that uses feel. So, "flying" here carries a similar meaning to "high"--because flying is something done while high in the air.

Some other words that carry similar meaning to "high," and refer to the state of being affected by a drug, include: blazed, stoned, wasted, plastered, fried, baked, lit, bombed, blasted, freaking, or tripping. These are all slang terms, since a wall can be plastered, a cake can be baked, and a light can be lit--they have literal meanings as well as the drug-related meanings. Blame it on the 1960's counterculture.

[existenz]

Thank you both ) I am really grateful .