A Mickey Finn is an alcoholic drink spiked with drugs to incapacitate the drinker, often used for robbery or rape. The term dates back to a Chicago bartender in the early 1900s, and while some use it as a practical joke, it can cause serious harm.
A Mickey Finn is an alcoholic beverage that has been adulterated with a substance that is designed to incapacitate the person drinking it. In a classic Mickey Finn, the drink includes knockout drops such as chlorine hydrate that render the consumer unconscious, although other variations involve the addition of drugs that cause vomiting or the development of intestinal disorders. In the modern era, the Mickey Mouse is usually a drink that has been laced with a so-called “date rape,” a drug that makes someone flexible and forgetful.
People have drugged each other for various reasons for hundreds and possibly thousands of years, but the term “Mickey Finn” dates back to the early 20th century. It appears to have originated in Chicago, a city that was notoriously rough in the late 1800s. Supposedly, a bartender named Mickey Finn had a habit of spiking customers’ drinks so he could rip them off. In 1903, he was prosecuted and the bar closed, and it seems strongly likely that the Mickey Mouse concept was named for the bartender who popularized it.
Some people use Mickey Finn with the intent of a practical joke; the victim’s plight should be fun for the victim or for the group at large. In these cases, temporary incapacity without permanent damage is usually the goal, as the spiked drink is supposed to be all in good fun. However, victims of this type of practical joke often do not appreciate it, and sometimes bad reactions to medications can occur, causing serious illness or permanent damage.
Classically, Mickey Finn was used to create an easy branding for robbery. Just like the bartender for whom he takes the drink did in the late 1800s, a thief can slip someone into Mickey Mouse, as they say, and then help themselves into the victim’s wallet and jewelry. Enterprising thieves may even take your house and car keys for the purposes of a larger crime spree.
A more sinister use of Mickey Finn evolved in the late 20th century as people began using drugs to add to drinks in clubs and parties for the purpose of committing rapes. Typically, the perpetrators of such crimes are male and use drugs designed to confuse their victims so that the victim willingly consents to sexual activity or is unable to resist due to stupor, confusion, or physical incapacity. One of the problems with such drugs is that they often cause memory loss, which can make victims unreliable as witnesses.
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