Slang for Cocaine Common Street Names & Warning Signs

Medical Providers:
Dr. Michael Vines, MD
Alex Spritzer, FNP, CARN-AP, PMHNP
Clinical Providers:
Natalie Foster, LPC-S, MS
Last Updated: December 11, 2025

Common Slang for Cocaine

Cocaine has had decades to pick up its own secret vocabulary. Some of these names sound harmless. Others sound almost silly. But they all point to the same drug. Knowing them can help you understand coded texts or conversations that might otherwise slip right past you.

used spoon on table depicting street use of cocaine on slang for cocaine blog

What are slang names for cocaine?

People tend to use short, quick words when referring to cocaine, especially when they don’t want others to know what’s being discussed. You’ll run into names like:

  • Apache
  • Big C
  • Blonde
  • Blow
  • Candy
  • Florida Snow
  • Love Affair
  • Mexican Percocet
  • Scottie
  • White Girl
  • Zip

They come from different eras and scenes, but they’re all talking about powdered cocaine.

What are slang names for crack cocaine?

Crack, which is smoked instead of snorted, picked up its own dictionary over the years. The names usually point to how the rocks look or how intense the high can be:

  • Black Rock
  • Dice
  • Gravel
  • Ice Cubes
  • Nuggets
  • RIP
  • White Tornado

These terms show up more in street-level conversations than anywhere else.

Slang playing on the word cocaine

Some nicknames for cocaine don’t even try to be subtle. They’re just playful twists on the drug’s actual name. You’ll hear these more in movies or casual jokes than from someone trying to hide anything:

  • Big C
  • C Dust
  • Coca
  • Coconut
  • Coke
  • Cola

They’re easy to understand, which is probably why they’ve lasted so long.

Nicknames for cocaine based on the effects

Cocaine’s fast, energetic high inspired a bunch of terms that describe the feeling rather than the powder itself. These tend to be upbeat, almost optimistic—something people say when they’re chasing a certain mood:

  • Big Rush
  • Friskie Powder
  • Glad Stuff
  • Happy Dust
  • Love Affair
  • Nose Candy
  • Paradise

The slang here reflects the excitement, not the crash that comes afterward.

Cocaine slang based on the look/origin

People also use names that hint at where the drug supposedly comes from or what it looks like when it’s cut and packaged. These vary a bit depending on region:

  • Coca
  • Leaf
  • Peruvian Lady
  • Inca Message
  • Big Flake
  • Icing
  • Paradise White
  • Pearl
  • Pressed Pills
  • Snow Cone
  • Snowflake
  • White Lady
  • White Mosquito

If it sounds white, snowy, or vaguely exotic, there’s a good chance it’s referring to cocaine.

Street names for cocaine mixed with other drugs

When cocaine is used with another substance, the combo gets its own nickname. Some people don’t even know they’re taking a mixture, which makes these especially risky:

Cocaine + marijuana: Bazooka, Candy Sticks

Cocaine + heroin: Beach; Belushi, Speedball

Cocaine + PCP: Space, Whack, Space Dust

Cocaine + meth: Croak

Cocaine + tobacco: Coolie, Geek-Joint

Multiple-drug combo: Five way

Crack + fentanyl: Dirty Fentanyl, Takeover

Most of these mixtures dramatically increase overdose risk, even when someone thinks they know what they’re taking.

Recovering from a Cocaine Addiction

If you’re digging through slang terms, there’s usually a reason—maybe you’re worried about someone, or you’re trying to make sense of changes you’ve noticed. Cocaine doesn’t stay in the body very long, but the problems it creates can stick around. It helps to know that treatment exists, and plenty of people recover with the right support system and professional help.

There are numerous cocaine addiction treatment programs around the world focused on helping people overcome their addiction, making words like coke, big flake, and happy dust a rarity in conversation. Rehab does work if your loved one is ready for treatment, with many successfully staying sober months and years later.

The Hope House Difference

If you’ve decided it’s time to make a change, The Hope House is here to help at our drug rehab – Arizona.

The Hope House is a luxury rehab program dedicated to providing the best personalized care to achieve long-term recovery. Our beautiful facilities in Scottsdale, Arizona are staffed with addiction experts and masters-level clinicians trained to help clients learn how to live healthy, sober lifestyles.

If you want to learn more about The Hope House and the next steps towards recovery, give our team a call today. The admissions team is ready to walk you through our personal treatment programs and help find what’s right for you.

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