Abstract
This essay discusses a relatively recent phenomenon, namely, the sale and use of a synthetic chemical product known generically as “bath salts.” It then defines this term. Next, it discusses selectively the scientific literature on this product. Finally, it interprets the significance the brand names used to refer to the product and their referents within an onomastic and semiotic framework.
Appendix
The following list of “bath salts” product names appears in alphabetic order. It derives from several sources (Alternate Names for the “Bath Salt” Drug; Olives et al., Citation2012: 58; Spiller et al., Citation2011: 502).
Arctic Blast
Bayou Ivory Flower
Blue Magic
Blue Silk
Bonsai Winter Boost
C Original
Cloud 10
Cloud 10 Ultra
Cloud 9
Cotton Cloud
Dynamite Dynamite Plus
Energizing Aromatherapy Powder
Euphoria
Gold Rush
Hurricane Charlie
Ivory Fresh
Ivory Wave Ultra
Lady Bubbles
Lunar Wave
Mr Nice Guy
Ocean Snow
Pure White
Red Dove
Route 69
Scarface
Snow Day
Snow Leopard
Tranquility
Vanilla Sky
White China
White Dove
White Girls
White Horse
White Rush
White Knight
White Rush
Wicked X
Wicked XX
Zoom
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Frank Nuessel
Frank Nuessel is Editor of NAMES: A Journal of Onomastics (2008–). He served as President of the Semiotic Society of America (2011), and Chief Reader of AP Italian (2006–2009, 2011–2012). He is President of the American Association of Teachers of Italian (2012–2014).
Correspondence to: Department of Classical and Modern Languages, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292-0001, USA.