SLAMKIN, slam'kin, _n._ a loose 18th-century women's morning-gown.--Also
SLAM'MERKIN.
SLANDER, slan'd[.e]r, _n._ a false or malicious report: malicious
defamation by words spoken: calumny.--_v.t._ to defame: to
calumniate.--_n._ SLAN'DERER.--_adj._ SLAN'DEROUS, given to, or containing,
slander: calumnious.--_adv._ SLAN'DEROUSLY.--_n._ SLAN'DEROUSNESS, the
state or quality of being slanderous. [O. Fr. _esclandre_--L.
_scandalum_--Gr. _skandalon_.]
SLANG, slang, _n._ a conventional tongue with many dialects, which are, as
a rule, unintelligible to outsiders, such as Gypsy, Canting or Flash,
Back-slang, and Shelta or Tinkers' Talk: any kind of colloquial and
familiar language serving as a kind of class or professional
shibboleth.--_adj._ pertaining to slang.--_v.i._ to use slang, and esp.
abusive language.--_v.t._ to scold.--_adv._ SLANG'ILY.--_n._
SLANG'INESS.--_adj._ SLANG'ULAR, slangy.--_v.i._ SLANG'-WHANG, to talk
slangily or boisterously.--_n._ SLANG'-WHANG'ER, an abusive and wordy
fellow.--_adj._ SLANG'Y. [Explained by Skeat as Scand., Norw. _sleng_, a
slinging, a device, a burthen of a song, _slengja_, to sling. Leland boldly
makes it Romany, and orig. applied to everything relating to shows--in
Hindustani, _Swangi_, also often _Slangi_.]
SLANG, slang, _n._ a narrow strip of land.--Also SLANK'ET. SLANG, slang,
_n._ (_slang_) a counterfeit weight or measure: a travelling show, or a
performance of the same: a hawker's license: a watch-chain: (_pl._)
convicts' leg-irons.
SLANT, slant, _adj._ sloping: oblique: inclined from a direct line--also
SLAN'TING.--_n._ a slope: a gibe: (_slang_) a chance.--_v.i._ to turn in a
sloping direction.--_v.i._ to slope, to incline towards: (_Scot._) to
exaggerate, to lie.--_adj._ SLANTENDIC'[=U]LAR, oblique: indirect.--_advs._
SLAN'TINGLY, in a slanting direction: with a slope or inclination;
SLANT'LY, SLANT'WISE, in a sloping, oblique, or inclined
manner.--SLANT-OF-WIND, a transitory breeze of favourable wind. [Scand.,
Sw. _slinta_, to slide.]
SLAP, slap, _n._ a blow with the hand or anything flat.--_v.t._ to give a
slap to:--_pr.p._ slap'ping; _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ slapped.--_adv._ with a
slap: suddenly, violently.--_adj._ (_slang_) first-rate.--_adv._
SLAP'-BANG, violently, all at once.--_adj._ dashing, violent.--_n._ a cheap
eating-house.--_adv._ SLAP'-DASH, in a bold, careless way.--_adj._
off-hand, rash.--_n._ rough-cast harling: carelessly done work.--_v.t._ to
do anything in a hasty, imperfect manner: to rough-cast with mortar.--_n._
SLAP'PER (_slang_), anything big of its kind.--_adjs._ SLAP'PING, very
large; SLAP'-UP, excellent, very grand. [Allied to Low Ger. _slapp_, Ger.
_schlappe_; imit.]
SLAP, slap, _n._ (_Scot._) a gap in a fence: a narrow cleft between
hills.--_v.t._ to break an opening in.
SLAPE, sl[=a]p, _adj._ (_prov._) slippery, crafty. [Ice. _sleipr_, sleppr,
slippery--slípa, to be smooth.]
SLAPJACK=_Flapjack_ (q.v.).
SLASH, slash, _v.t._ to cut by striking with violence and at random: to
make long cuts: to ornament by cutting slits in the cloth in order to show
some fine material underneath.--_v.i._ to strike violently and at random
with an edged instrument: to strike right and left: to move rapidly.--_n._
a long cut: a cut at random: a cut in cloth to show colours underneath: a
stripe on a non-commissioned officer's sleeve: a clearing in a
wood.--_adj._ SLASHED, cut with slashes: gashed.--_ns._ SLASH'ER, anything
which slashes; SLASH'ING, a slash in a garment: the felling of trees as a
military obstacle, also the trees so felled.--_adj._ cutting mercilessly,
unsparing: dashing: very big, slapping. [O. Fr. _eslecher_, to
dismember--Old High Ger. _sl[=i]zan_, to split.]
SLASH, slash, _v.i._ (_Scot._) to work in wet.--_n._ a large quantity of
watery food, as broth, &c.--_adj._ SLASH'Y, dirty, muddy. [Sw. _slaska_,
dabble--_slask_, wet.]
SLAT, slat, _v.t._ to strike, beat.--_v.i._ to flap violently.--_n._ a
sudden sharp blow. [Scand., Ice. _sletta_, to slap, Norw. _sletta_, to
cast.]
SLAT, slat, _n._ a thin piece of stone, a slate: a strip of wood.--_adj._
made of slats.--_adj._ SLAT'TED, covered with slats. [O. Fr. _esclat_--Old
High Ger. _sl[=i]zan_, to slit.]
SLATCH, slach, _n._ the slack of a rope: an interval of fair weather: a
short breeze. [SLACK.]
SLATE, sl[=a]t, _n._ a highly metamorphosed argillaceous rock, fine-grained
and fissile, and of a dull blue, gray, purple, or green colour--used in
thin slabs of small size for ordinary roofs, and in larger slabs for
dairy-fittings, wash-tubs, cisterns, tables, &c., and when polished for
writing-slates and 'black-boards:' a piece of slate for roofing, or for
writing upon: a preliminary list of candidates before a caucus.--_adj._
bluish-gray, slate-coloured.--_v.t._ to cover with slate: to enter on a
slate.--_ns._ SLATE'-AXE, a slater's tool, a sax; SLATE'-CLAY, a fissile
shale.--_adjs._ SL[=A]'TED, covered with slates; SLATE'-GRAY, of a light
slate colour.--_ns._ SLATE'-PEN'CIL, a cut or turned stick of soft slate,
or of compressed moistened slate-powder, for writing on slate; SL[=A]'TER;
SL[=A]'TINESS, the quality of being slaty; SL[=A]'TING, the act of covering
with slates: a covering of slates: materials for slating.--_adj._
SL[=A]'TY, resembling slate: having the nature or properties of slate. [O.
Fr. _esclat_--Old High Ger. _sl[=i]zan_, Ger. _schleissen_, to split.]
SLATE, sl[=a]t, _v.t._ to abuse, criticise severely: (_prov._) to set a dog
at.--_n._ SL[=A]'TING, a severe criticism. [A.S. _slítan_, to slit.]
SLATER, sl[=a]'t[.e]r, _n._ a terrestrial oniscid isopod, as the common
_Porcellio scaber_.
SLATHER, slath'[.e]r, _n._ (_slang_) a large quantity.
SLATTERN, slat'[.e]rn, _n._ a woman negligent of her dress: an untidy
woman.--_v.i._ SLATT'ER (_prov._), to be untidy or slovenly.--_n._
SLATT'ERNLINESS.--_adj._ SLATT'ERNLY, like a slattern: negligent of person:
slovenly: dirty: sluttish.--_adv._ negligently: untidily.--_adj._ SLATT'ERY
(_prov._) wet. [From _slatter_, a freq. of _slat_, to strike (q.v.).]
SLAUGHTER, slaw't[.e]r, _n._ a killing: a great destruction of life:
carnage: butchery.--_ns._ SLAUGH'TERER; SLAUGH'TERHOUSE, a place where
beasts are killed for the market; SLAUGH'TERMAN, a man employed in killing
or butchering animals.--_adj._ SLAUGH'TEROUS, given to slaughter:
destructive: murderous.--_adv._ SLAUGH'TEROUSLY. [Prob. Ice. _slátr_,
butchers' meat, whence _slátra_, to slaughter cattle. The A.S. is
_sleaht_--_sleán_, to slay.]
SLAV, SLAVE, släv, _n._ one belonging to any of the Slavonic groups of
Aryans--Bulgarians, Czechs, Poles, Russians, Servians, Wends, &c.--_adj._
SLAV'IC. [_Slovene_ or _Slovane_, from Polish _slovo_, a word, thus meaning
the people who spoke intelligibly, as distinguished from their neighbour,
_Niemets_, the German, lit. the dumb man. Miklosich considers both to be
tribal names.]
SLAVE, sl[=a]v, _n._ a captive in servitude: any one in bondage: a serf:
one who labours like a slave: a drudge: one wholly under the will of
another: one who has lost all power of resistance.--_v.i._ to work like a
slave: to drudge.--_adj._ SLAVE'-BORN, born in slavery.--_ns._
SLAVE'-DR[=I]'VER, one who superintends slaves at their work; SLAVE'-FORK,
a long and heavy branch into the forked end of which a slave's neck is
fixed to prevent his escaping from the slave-trader's gang.--_adj._
SLAVE'-GROWN, grown on land worked by slaves.--_ns._ SLAVE'-HOLD'ER, an
owner of slaves; SLAVE'-HOLD'ING; SLAVE'-HUNT, a hunt after runaway slaves;
SL[=A]'VER, a ship employed in the slave-trade; SL[=A]'VERY, the state of
being a slave: serfdom: the state of being entirely under the will of
another: bondage: drudgery; SLAVE'-SHIP, a ship used for transporting
slaves.--_n.pl._ SLAVE'-STATES, those states of the American Union which
maintained domestic slavery before the Civil War--Delaware, Maryland,
Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee.--_ns._
SLAVE'-TRADE, the trade of buying and selling slaves; SLAVE'-TR[=A]'DER, a
trader in slaves; SL[=A]'VEY (_slang_), a domestic drudge, a
maid-servant.--_adj._ SL[=A]'VISH, of or belonging to slaves: becoming
slaves: servile: mean: base: laborious.--_adv._ SL[=A]'VISHLY.--_ns._
SL[=A]'VISHNESS; SL[=A]VOC'RACY, slave-owners collectively, or their
interests, &c.; SL[=A]'VOCRAT, a member of the slavocracy. [O. Fr.
_esclave_--Mid. High Ger. _slave_ (Ger. _sclave_), from _Slav_, above.]
SLAVER, slav'[.e]r, _n._ spittle or saliva running from the mouth.--_v.i._
to let the saliva run out of the mouth.--_v.t._ to smear with saliva.--_n._
SLAV'ERER.--_adv._ SLAV'ERINGLY, in a slavering manner.--_adj._ SLAV'ERY,
slabbery. [_Slabber_.]
SLAVONIC, sla-von'ik, _adj._ of or belonging to the _Slavs_, or their
language--also SCLAVON'IC, SLAV[=O]'NIAN, SCLAV[=O]'NIAN.--_vs.t._
SLAVON'ICISE, SLAV'ONISE, to render Slavonic in character, language,
&c.--_ns._ SLAV'OPHIL, one devoted to promoting the interests of the
Slavonic peoples; SLAV'OPHILISM, Slavophil feelings and aims;
SLAV'OPH[=O]BIST, one who dreads the growth of Slav influence.