Chinaman on one's back

English Etymology The use of "Chinaman" could possibly refer to the use of opium becoming a historical stereotype of Chinese people. Pronunciation en en-au-Chinaman on one's back.ogg AU Noun Chinamen on their backs en slang offensive A drug addiction. en 2003 David W. Maurer Whiz Mob: A Correlation of the Technical Argot of Pickpockets with Their Behavior Pattern Rowman & Littlefield Publishers 0742533514 163 The chances are that he will stay with his first love, the needle, and that the habit will lose the glorious drive and tingle that it had at first, and become the chinaman on his back who drives him like a slave to get more money to buy more junk. en slang offensive Withdrawal symptoms. Synonyms monkey on one's back en idioms en Drugs