slack

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See also:Slackandsläck

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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FromMiddle Englishslak,fromOld Englishslæc(“slack”),fromProto-Germanic*slakaz.For sense of coal dust, compareslag.

Noun

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slack(countableanduncountable,pluralslacks)

  1. (uncountable)The part of anything that hangsloose,having nostrainupon it.
    theslackof a rope or of a sail
    take in theslack
  2. (countable)Atidalmarshorshallowthat periodically fills and drains.
  3. (uncountable,psychotherapy)Unconditionallisteningattentiongiven byclienttopatient.
    • 1979,Richard Dean Rosen,Psychobabble,page93:
      The counselor is directed to give his client "free attention," or "slack,"performing a kind of vigil, a version of Carl Rogers's" unconditional positive regard. "
    • 1983,Harvey Jackins,The Reclaiming of Power,page14:
      We have apparently been doing this all our lives, since we were first distressed. This collection of ancient habits seems to be "energized" by the presence, or even the promise, of "slack"or free attention from any person in the situation[…]
  4. Attributiveform ofslacks(“semi-formal trousers”).
    • 1943,Jacob Armstrong Swisher,Iowa in Times of War,State Historical Society of Iowa,page124:
      The breeches formerly worn with those spiral leggings have been succeeded by full length,slack-type trousers which are loose at the knee and around the calf.
    • 1970,Harry A. Cobrin,The Men’s Clothing Industry: Colonial Through Modern Times,New York, N.Y.:Fairchild Publications, Inc.,→ISBN,page 7:
      Recently though,slackmanufacturers have been cuddling under the wings of the clothing industry to a greater extent than ever, for it has become good business to promote separate slacks and sport coats as a coordinated sales unit.
    • 2004,Pei Pin Han, “Friendship for 54 Years”, in Amy Lanping Sung, Hu Kung-Chung Chien, editors,Shu Chien: Tributes on His 70th Birthday,World Scientific,→ISBN,page38:
      At that time, it was customary for male college students in Peking to wear long gowns. With a pair of slacks and leather shoes, plus a scarf in the winter, Shu looked very handsome. I tried to wear the gown for two days, and gave it up because I found it difficult to reach theslackpockets under it.
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Translations
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Adjective

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slack(comparativeslacker,superlativeslackest)

  1. (normally said of arope)Lax;not tense; not firmly extended.
    aslackrope
  2. Weak; not holdingfast.
    aslackhand
  3. Moderatein some capacity.
    1. Moderatelywarm.
      aslackoven
    2. Moderate in speed.
      aslackwind
  4. Lackingdiligenceorcare;notearnestoreager.
    slackin duty or service
  5. Not active or busy,successful,or violent.
    Business isslack.
    • 1928,Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 3, inWell Tackled!‎[1]:
      “They know our boats will stand up to their work,” said Willison, “and that counts for a good deal. A low estimate from us doesn't mean scamped work, but just for that we want to keep the yard busy over aslacktime.”
    • 1940December, “Notes and News: Waterloo & City Tube Modernisation”, inRailway Magazine,page668:
      In theslackhours the service is maintained by single motor-coaches.
  6. Excess; surplus to requirements.
    theslackcapacity of an oil pipeline
  7. (slang,Caribbean,Jamaica)Vulgar;sexuallyexplicit,especially indancehallmusic.
  8. (linguistics)Lax.
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Adverb

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slack(notcomparable)

  1. Slackly.
    slackdried hops
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Etymology 2

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FromMiddle Englishslakken,slaken,fromOld Englishslacian,fromProto-Germanic*slakōną(“to slack, slacken”).

Verb

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slack(third-person singular simple presentslacks,present participleslacking,simple past and past participleslacked)

  1. (transitive,intransitive)Toslacken.
    • c.1590(date written),[John Lyly],Mother Bombie.[…],2nd edition, London:[…]Thomas Creede,forCuthbert Burby,published1598,→OCLC,Act II, scene ii:
      I maruell I heare no nevves ofDromio,either heeſlackesthe matter, or betraies his Maiſter, I dare not motion anie thing toStellio,till I knovv vvhat my boy hath don, Ile hunt him out, if the loiterſacke be gone ſpringing into a Tauerne, Ile fetch him reeling out.
    • 1692–1717,Robert South,Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions,volume(please specify |volume=I to VI),London:
      In this business of growing rich, poor men[…]shouldslacktheir pace.
  2. (obsolete)Tomitigate;to reduce the strength of.
  3. To lose cohesion or solidity by a chemical combination with water; toslake.
    Limeslacks.
  4. Torefusetoworkas hard as one is supposed to.
    I can't afford toslack.This job is all I have!
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Etymology 3

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Either from the adjective in Etymology 1 or the verb in Etymology 2.

Noun

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slack(pluralslacks)

  1. (rail transport)A temporary speed restriction where track maintenance or engineering work is being carried out at a particular place.
    • 1939June, “Pertinent Paragraphs: Pitfalls”, inRailway Magazine,page456:
      This pitfall, beginning in February and finishing in May, resulted in a drop of about 3 ft. in the platform level; during this period it was necessary to level the track three times weekly, and impose a serviceslackof 15 m.p.h. The subsidence appears now to have finished, and normal speed is once again permitted.
    • 1949September and October, “The" Nord Express "”, inRailway Magazine,page336:
      The train runs slowly with frequentslacksfor bridge and culvert repairs. At one point occurs the changeover from left- to right-hand running.
    • 1960February, R. C. Riley, “The London-Birmingham services - Past, Present and Future”, inTrains Illustrated,page103:
      A 40 m.p.h.slackat West Ruislip, quickly followed by a 30 m.p.h.slackat Gerrards Cross, increased our lateness to four minutes at High Wycombe.

Etymology 4

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FromMiddle Englishslak,fromOld Norseslakki(“a slope”).Cognate withIcelandicslakki,Norwegianslakke.

Noun

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slack(pluralslacks)

  2. (countable)A valley, or small, shallowdell;asagorsaddlein aridge.
    • 1812,Walter Scott,Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border: Consisting of Historical and Romantic Ballads Collected in the Southern Counties of Scotland, with a Few of Modern Date Founded Upon Local Tradition,page246:
      Red Ringan sped, and the spearmen led, Up GoranberrySlack;Aye, many a wight, unmatched in fight, Who never more came back. And bloody set the westering sun, And bloody rose he up;[…]
    • 1871,Walter Scott,Waverly Novels,page159:
      "I see some folk coming through the slack yonder,[…]"
    • 1875,Alexander Smith,A New History of Aberdeenshire,page690:
      […]southward, by theslackof the hill (2,500 feet), west of Ferrowie, (2,628 feet), on the County boundary, and descending by the Capel-burn to the South Esk,[…]
    • 1960,John Home,Survey of Assynt:
      Sheelings: 1. Lies South of the Infields in aSlackbetwixt two Hills 2. Lies at the South End of the Loch of Loch Beanoch[…]
  3. A flat-bottomed, hollow zone within a sand-dune system that has developed over impervious strata, sometimes due to erosion or blow-out of the dune system; its flat base level is therefore close to or at the permanent water-table level, and therefore has rich, marshy flora, with Salix species (willows) as typical woody colonisers.

Etymology 5

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Probably fromGermanSchlacke(“dross, slag”).Doubletofslag.

Noun

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slack(uncountable)

  1. (mining)Small coal;coaldust.
    Synonym:culm
    • 1905,Colliery Engineer,volume25,page107:
      One of the important improvements of recent years has been attained by mi xing the peat pulp as it passes through the grinding machine, with other inflammable materials, such as bituminous coal dust, orslack[…]
    • 1959April, P. Ransome-Wallis, “The Southern in Trouble on the Kent Coast”, inTrains Illustrated,London:Ian Allan Publishing,→ISSN,→OCLC,page220:
      It had rather a woolly and uneven beat and was inclined to prime, but there was no trouble with steaming even though the tender contained mostly smallslackand dust.
Derived terms
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Anagrams

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