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" The battle is to decide whether you shall become a New Yorker or turn the rankest outlander and Philistine. You must be one or the other. You cannot remain neutral. You must be for or against - lover or enemy - bosom friend or outcast. And, oh, the city is a general in the ring. Not only by blows does it seek to subdue you. It woos you to its heart with the subtlety of a siren. It is a combination of Delilah, green Chartreuse, Beethoven, chloral and John L. in his best days. "
In O.Henry's day, chloral hydrate was often used as "knockout drops" to render incautious imbibers hors de
combat so that their pockets could be picked with impunity.
However a lot of alcohol plus chloral hydrate was a very
dangerous combination. Sometimes called a "Mickey Finn". I don't know the origin of that, and it may not be known.
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green Chartreuse is the liquor that also goes by an other name, (senior moment here.. the stuff that VanGogh was reputed to drink--... oh it will come to me, and i'll come back and edit, or you can post it if you know the name.)
its made of with wormwood, (an herb) and it can be poisonous if taken in quanity.
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Dear of troy: a case of absinthe mindedness?
From the Internet:
"But really, the reason anyone bothers to visit Auvers is because of a couple of famous inhabitants who lived there in the late 1800s. It was here that Vincent Van Gogh came to paint in his last summer, 1890. In 70 days he produced 70 canvases, many of them now classics, freezing the town and it's inhabitants in time. Could his daily glass of absinthe be responsible for the vivid colors in these works?"
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absinthe mindednesspoints to Dr. Bill! 
formerly known as etaoin...
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Yes! VERY nice, Bill!
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absinthe mindedness
points to Dr. Bill!
Absinthe makes the Grow heart fonder?
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It arouseth the desire, but taketh away the performance.
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I'd heard recently that it was not so much the wormwood (a vermifuge) in absinthe that caused problems in its habitual drinkers but rather the potent percentage of alcohol.
Found a great word because of this post: anthemlmintic from anti- + helminth (helmis 'worm' :- *wel- 'to turn, wave, rotate').
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I searched for "medicine absinthe" and got an article from
a medical school in Miami. Here is the concluding paragraph:
"Prolonged drinking of absinthe causes convulsions, blindness, hallucinations, and mental deterioration. Absinthe has been banned but something of its taste of absinthe is still available in such drinks as ouzo in Greece and in France, pastis, long considered "the mother's milk of Provence."
P.S. Thanks for all those kind words.
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IIRC, after absinthe was made illegal, some absinthe replacements made it to market: e.g., pastis (Pernod, Richard). Originally, the extremely bitter taste of the wormwood was covered up by sugar (usually applied to the drink at consumption), aniseed, etc.
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absinthe mindedness
points to Dr. Bill!
Absinthe makes the Grow heart fonder?
formerly known as etaoin...
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You mean if you're looking for absent mindedness, look
at Bill.
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look atno, no! points, as in scoring points. it was a great pun. I think even Faldage might agree...
formerly known as etaoin...
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