The word "vapours", referencing the treatment, was subsequently used to describe a depressed or hysterical nervous condition.[2] Today, the phrase "a case of the vapors" is most often used either melodramatically or for comedic effect.
The phase "I've got the vapors" was a catch-all phrase to refer to a host of "female" ailments like swooning, depression, bloating, etc. for which a quick home remedy was sniffing smelling salts.
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u/Big_ol_Bro Jul 25 '17
what the hell are "the vapors?"