Iocaine powder

(Fictional). A powerfully deadly & undetectable poison originating from Australia. Both colourless and odourless (in Australia, the correct spelling of those words), iocaine powder will dissolve instantly when poured into a liquid. However, starting with a tiny dose and carefully increasing consumption over time, one can build up a tolerance to iocaine.

The substance was introduced in "The Princess Bride" (1973), a novel by William Goldman, where it featured in a battle of wits between the Sicilian criminal genius, Vizzini, and the mysterious Man in Black. The scene was later depicted in the movie "The Princess Bride" (1987). References to Iocaine powder have subsequently been made in movies "The Haunted Mansion" (2003) and "Jack and the Beanstalk" (2009). In the latter, it's mentioned by the pawnbroker played by actor Wallace Shawn, who starred as Vizzini in "The Princess Bride".

Iocaine is sometimes misspelt as "iocane". The correct spelling is modelled after that of the real drug cocaine (from "coca" (the plant which produces the drug) + the chemical suffix "-ine"). It would appear that the pronunciation of the name of this poison, "I owe Cain", is a subtle reference to Cain, the first murderer (Genesis 4:8) —though it should be noted that Cain killed with some kind of physical violence, not with poison.

Buttercup: “And to think, all that time it was your cup that was poisoned!”
The Man in Black : “They were both poisoned. I've spent the last few years of my life building up an immunity to iocaine powder.”

Iocaine powder

(Fictional). A powerfully deadly & undetectable poison originating from Australia. Both colourless and odourless (in Australia, the correct spelling of those words), iocaine powder will dissolve instantly when poured into a liquid. However, starting with a tiny dose and carefully increasing consumption over time, one can build up a tolerance to iocaine.

The substance was introduced in "The Princess Bride" (1973), a novel by William Goldman, where it featured in a battle of wits between the Sicilian criminal genius, Vizzini, and the mysterious Man in Black. The scene was later depicted in the movie "The Princess Bride" (1987). References to Iocaine powder have subsequently been made in movies "The Haunted Mansion" (2003) and "Jack and the Beanstalk" (2009). In the latter, it's mentioned by the pawnbroker played by actor Wallace Shawn, who starred as Vizzini in "The Princess Bride".

Iocaine is sometimes misspelt as "iocane". The correct spelling is modelled after that of the real drug cocaine (from "coca" (the plant which produces the drug) + the chemical suffix "-ine"). It would appear that the pronunciation of the name of this poison, "I owe Cain", is a subtle reference to Cain, the first murderer (Genesis 4:8) —although it should be noted that Cain killed with some kind of physical violence, not with poison.

Buttercup: “And to think, all that time it was your cup that was poisoned!”
The Man in Black : “They were both poisoned. I've spent the last few years of my life building up an immunity to iocaine powder.”