In the entry for κοχλαράκιας, we read:
κοχλάρι = spoon
Is there a word “κοχλάρι”?
It is the ancient «κοχλιάριον», κοχλιάρι and κοχλάρι [: we also find this form] in Modern Greek,
It subsequently developed into χοχλιάρι /χουχλιάρι and χουλιάρι = spoon
and χουλιαριά, or a spoonful.
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Despite all this, the form “κοχλάρι” in itself strikes me as odd as well. χουλιάρι has retained the ι from the Ancient Greek κοχλιάριον. In κοχλάρι, which also seems much closer to the ancient form, where did it go?
Hypothesis: might the word be κοχλιάρι, that is, the ancient form unchanged apart from the inflectional ending, with the syllable -χλια- in *κοχλιαράκιας simplified to -χλα- through anticipatory dissimilation due to the syllable -κιας, so as not to have too many palatalised consonants clustered together? If you try saying “κοχλιαράκιας”, with all the -ια- sequences pronounced as single syllables, you’ll agree that it isn’t particularly easy.
In any case, I don’t think it can be disputed that the concept of a spoon underlies the “junkie” κοχλαράκια.
The word’s development is: kochliarion (κοχλιάριο)-kochliari (κοχλιάρι)-chouliari (χουλιάρι)
In other words, the iota is never dropped.
The derivation of “kochlarakia” (κοχλαράκια) from “kochla” (κόχλα) = cocaine seems more plausible to me (see the newspaper APOGEVMATINI, 10/7/1926, 11/7/1926, 17/7/1926,
and Korto’s excellent work at Πεθαμένοι που ανασαίνουν (μια συνεργασία του Κόρτο) « Οι λέξεις έχουν τη δική τους ιστορία
More generally, “kochla” (κόχλα) is “a dye, a powder of antimony sulphide mixed with soot and Indian ink, with which they dyed the eyebrows and eyelashes, otherwise called chollas (χολάς) and kochlos (κόχλος) in the Middle Ages” (Koukoulés, LAOGRAPHIKA (ΛΑΟΓΡΑΦΙΚΑ) 9, 1926)
So, I think the word “kochla” (κόχλα), meaning “powder/dust”, should also be considered.
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All very interesting, and new to me.
What exactly a “kochlarakias” was is explained to us very well—better, probably, than it could be anywhere else—by the song Kochlarakias (The Junkie), 1935
Needless to say, anything to do with “kochla”, cocaine, etc. does not apply in this case.
Let’s think this through. Based on Anthimos’s earlier findings, a kochlarakias should be a kokakias (cocaine user), not a prezakias (heroin user). Yet this person in the song declares himself to be both a kochlarakias and a prezakias. So:
- Anthimos’s findings may be incorrect, in which case we should return to the idea that kochliari means koutalaki (“teaspoon”), which heroin users use
- the “prezakias” in the song may not be a heroin addict, as the word means today. Preza basically refers to a way of taking powdered drugs. More precisely, the word preza means a certain quantity (cf. a pinch of salt). You can prezare heroin, but you can also prezare cocaine. Perhaps back then they used “prezakias” for all of these drugs, whereas today it refers only to heroin. Of course, the whole description in the song seems to point to a heroin addict. And besides, if he was prezaring (= snorting) anything, what did he need the teaspoon for?
- the lyricists may have been a little confused and simply thrown in a load of drug-slang terms without really knowing what they meant.
- finally, if “kochla = powder” is correct, why should it specifically mean cocaine and not heroin as well?
Where do we encounter this form?
Do we have citations from corpora, lexicographical sources, etc.?
Hatzidakis traces the history of the word I mentioned (κοχλιάριο–κοχλιάρι–χουλιάρι)
If there are sources for “kochlári” (κοχλάρι), please cite them, so that my working hypothesis loses all foundation
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Nevertheless, in 1926 we have evidence of the first appearance of the word “κόχλα” (kochla) in the context of drug users.
Also interesting is a report by Christos Levantas (EMPROS, 3 June 1928), entitled “In the Kingdom of Kochlan”, which refers to people who “worship Kochlan, the god who takes the form of white powder”.
In any case, I believe that, unless the information cited in the entry (“κοχλάρι = κουτάλι” [kochlari = spoon]) can be substantiated, it would be best to rewrite the entire entry and include only the definition: “heroin addict/cocaine addict”, without any further etymological speculation.
As it is phrased, this refers to an indeclinable Cochlan (Cochlan, of Cochlan, not of Cochlantos), whereas Cochlas, as the “god of white powder”, is not only worshipped but also declined. In any case, I, at least, won’t pursue the matter any further.
Of course, nowhere is there any mention of an inflected Kochlan, only an indeclinable one… we should mention that too 
Ah, I said: I’m not getting involved any further. Anyone who happens to be interested can look elsewhere.
Since it was mentioned, a simple search also turns up the form «κοχλάρι» [as well as «χουχλάρι» and «κοχλιάρι»].
As far as I can tell, the form «κόχλα» occurs only once, in a single account in «Απογευματινή» [in the same text, which runs to three instalments].
Why, then, is there no mention of this form elsewhere— in a slang dictionary, in at least one of the several relevant accounts already available to us, or in any other text generally?
How can we be sure of the existence of «κόχλα» on the basis of a single occurrence, and that it was not merely a spur-of-the-moment invention by the author of the text?
I would suggest that, for the time being at least, we stick with κουτάλι, since this was known among the «σέα» of junkies.
I also looked through Petropoulos’s «Καλιαρντά» and didn’t find it there either.
If, of course, any further evidence comes to light, we can revise our view.
It strikes me as odd too. A hundred years ago (in 1926), even genuine foreign names were more commonly declined in the Greek manner than left undeclined. So forming a Greek coinage in the guise of an indeclinable foreign-sounding name — “Kochlan” — is quite understandably bound to make an impression, to say the least.
Could we see the resulting quotations?
I don’t find that a sufficient reason, given that the word “kochlari” (κοχλάρι) has not yet been documented in lexicographical sources or text corpora.
Besides, I think the main purpose of the Glossary is to provide the definition and the lines where we encounter a headword.
I believe etymological matters are secondary, and the relevant information should be provided only when it is fully substantiated.
In essence: the form “kochla” (κόχλα) appears only once, in the work of a columnist (?), and no one else seems to have known about “kochla”.
However, the most important point is that even if further references to “kochla” are found, as Agis rightly points out in another thread, the form that would arise for any given user would be “kochlakias” (κοχλάκιας), not “kochlarakias” (κοχλαράκιας),
In other words, this additional syllable [-ra] rules out any connection with “kochla” and instead points us towards “kochliari” (κοχλιάρι), the spoon.
The only addition that, in my opinion, could be made to our Glossary would be to include the form “kochliari” (κοχλιάρι) as well.
As for “kochlari” (κοχλάρι), there are so many references [for example, a spoonful of sugar, or measuring with a spoon in sushi, etc.], and the form is also called “kochlarakias” (κοχλαράκιας) in the song, not “kochliarakias” (κοχλιαράκιας).
In any case, to return to the matter at hand, I see no connection between “kochlarakia” (κοχλαράκια) and “kochla” (κόχλα), for the reasons stated above.
Could we see the quotations from which the equivalence “kochlari = spoon” is derived?
I assume that we agree in substance that what matters most is that we are moving away from “κόχλα” and its association with the “κοχλαράκια” in the song, so as not to create false associations.
My proposal in this case is that the word “κοχλιάρι” [and, in a more colloquial form, “κοχλάρι”] be given as the etymon; both mean “spoon”.
I also wrote above that I will withdraw the working hypothesis I have just put forward as soon as evidence documenting the existence of the word „κοχλάρι“ (= spoon) appears.
Until then, please allow me to point out that the entry would be better limited to the gloss alone, rather than delving into etymology.