▪ I. slack, n.1 north. and Sc.
(slæk)
Forms: 5 slac, slakke, slake, 5–6 slak, 6– slack.
[a. ON. slakki (Icel. slakki, Norw. slakke) in sense 1.]
1. a. A small shallow dell or valley; a hollow or dip in the ground; a depression in a hill-side or between two stretches of rising ground.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce xiv. 536 Till the hill thai tuk the way. In a slak thame enbuschit thai. c 1400 Rowland & O. 1418 Doun þay dange þaire Baners brade Bothe in slakkes & in slade. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 7418 Slike paynes suffird all þe pak Þat wer broght in to þat slak [= a vale of depnes 7407]. 1470–85 Malory Arthur vi. v. 189 Ther by a lytyl slake syr launcelot wounded hym..nyghe vnto the deth. 1513 Douglas æneid viii. x. 91 Sitand into ane holl valle or slak. a 1560 Rolland Crt. Venus iii. 146 Quhite as the snaw that euer lay in slak. 1615 Extr. Aberd. Reg. (1848) II. 326 The samen is mercheit be stanes..quhill it come to the end of the Gallow slackis. 1682 O. Heywood Diaries (1885) IV. 85 My danger upon Clifton common..; in a slack full of snow my horse got fast. 1718 Records of Elgin (New Spald. Cl.) I. 402 Ane stripe that rins in ane slack. 1788 W. H. Marshall Yorksh. II. 353 Slack, a valley, or small shallow dale; a dip. 1813 Hogg Queen's Wake (1871) 60 O'er slope and slack She sought her native stall. 1825– in northern glossaries. 1891 J. C. Atkinson Moorland Par. 186 A series of short banklets, hillocks, mounds, and peaks, with intertwining gullies, slacks, and hollows. |
† b. A pit, a hole. Obs.—1
| a 1500 in Ratis Raving (1870) 23 Mony man makis a slak in an vthir manis vay, and fall fyrst thar in. |
2. A hollow in the sand- or mud-banks on a shore. Also, a depression among sand-dunes.
| ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 3720 Thane was þe flode passede; Thane was it slyke a slowde in slakkes fulle hugge, That let þe kyng for to lande. 1570 Satir. Poems Reform. xxiv. 39 Had not bene ane slack was in the sands, Weill had he payit ȝow tratouris for ȝour tressoun. 1901 Pall Mall Mag. Sept. 138 The ‘slacks’ I have mentioned are fresh-water pools which extend just inside the outer sandhills [of the estuary of the Mersey]. 1929 [see low n. 3 a]. 1934 Geogr. Jrnl. LXXXIII. 498 The question that always comes to my mind in looking at dune formations is what is the primary cause of the rhythmical or ripple effect, the succession of ridges and slacks. 1963 Times 27 Feb. 11/6 In the lee of the high dunes lie wet slacks and attractive freshwater pools out of which grow strands of reed and reed-mace. 1964 V. J. Chapman Coastal Vegetation vi. 153 The damp soil of the slacks is colonized by a carpet of the Creeping Willow. |
3. A soft or boggy hollow; a morass.
| 1719 in Cramond Annals Cullen (1888) 79 The magistrates appoint..that none cast above two spades casting in the common moss or Chamar Slack without liberty. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxv, A deep morass, termed in that country a slack. c 1880 J. Lucas Stud. Nidderdale 278 Slack, a hollow boggy place. 1897 E. W. Hamilton Outlaws xxviii. 310 The yellow slack that feeds the Blackburn, and in which horse and rider might readily disappear for ever. |
▪ II. slack, n.2
(slæk)
Also (now dial.) sleck.
[Of doubtful origin: cf. older Flem. slecke, Du. slak, LG. slak(ke, G. schlacke dross of metals.]
Small or refuse coal. Also attrib.
| α c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. ii. 152 Vndonged sleck wole make hem lene, as preue is. 1665 Dudley Metallum Martis (1854) 8 These Colliers must cast these coles and sleck or drosse out of their wayes. 1677 Phil. Trans. XII. 898 The Men..hid themselves as well as they could in the loose sleck or small Cole. 1800 Hull Advertiser 29 Nov. 2/1 For every chaldron of coals, sleck, cinders, culm, coke. 1857 Waugh Lanc. Life 197 Nearly every cottage had its stock of coals piled up under the front window,..the ‘cobs’ neatly built up into a square wall, and the centre filled up with the ‘sleck an' naplins’. |
| β 1729 Swift Let. on Irish Coal Wks. 1841 II. 110 In every half barrel of coals you have the one-half of it slack, and that slack of little use. 1795 J. Phillips Hist. Inland Navig. Add. 173 For all slack or small and inferior coal for the purpose of burning lime-stone or bricks,..six-pence per ton. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 358 The fire is now slackened, and a quantity of slack, or refuse pit-coal, thrown into the furnace. 1881 Young Every Man his own Mechanic §1420. 649 The fuel used is fine coal generally called ‘Smith's coal’ or ‘slack’. 1881 Census Instr. (1885) 84/3 Slack-picker, -washer. |
▪ III. slack, n.3
(slæk)
Also 6 -e.
[f. slack a. or v.]
† 1. The passing or spending of time. Obs.
| a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1559) R iij b, All onely for slacke of time, and driuyng of one houre to a nother. |
2. a. A cessation in the strong flow of a current or of the tide. (Cf. slack-water.)
| 1756 Phil. Trans. XLIX. 531 During the time of the water flowing, the strength of the current going down was greatly abated, almost to a slack. Ibid., He met an unexpected slack in Greenwich-reach. 1892 Law Times Rep. LXVII. 251/1 The tide was low water slack, and the weather was fine and clear. 1902 Ld. Avebury Scenery of England 456 They are the debris of the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire coast, and are deposited at the slack of highwater. |
b. A stretch or reach of comparatively still water in a river.
| 1825 Brockett N.C. Gloss., Slack, a long pool in a streamy river. 1889 in N.W. Linc. Gloss. 1902 Daily Chron. 28 Jan. 8/3 Some perch and pike have also been taken out of the eddies and slacks. |
3. a. An interval of comparative inactivity; a lull in business or in action of any kind.
| 1851 Mayhew Lond. Lab. II. 83/1 An ingenious..coster⁓monger, during a ‘slack’ in his own business [etc.]. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. xliv, Though there's a slack, we haven't done with sharp work yet, I can see. |
b. A slackening of speed.
| 1899 Daily News 14 Sept. 7/6 The 231/4 miles..are covered in 21½ minutes; and this though there is a relaying slack at Farnborough. |
c. In critical path analysis, the length of time by which a particular event can be delayed without delaying the completion of the overall objective.
| 1962 NASA PERT & Compan. Cost System Handbk. (U.S. Nat. Aeronaut. & Space Admin.) B-3 The accomplishment of event {hash}3 could be delayed by three weeks without jeopardizing meeting the expected date for the end objective. This difference or cushion is called slack. 1964 K. G. Lockyer Introd. Critical Path Anal. v. 46 A different expression of the ability of activities to move is given by considering the head and tail events. These have ‘earliest’ and ‘latest’ times, and slack is the difference between these times. 1970 O. Dopping Computers & Data Processing xxii. 346 After the critical path has been found, it may be possible to transfer resources from activities with a big slack to certain critical activities. |
4. a. That part of a rope, sail, etc., which is not fully strained, or which hangs loose; a loose part or end. Also fig., esp. in phr. to take up the slack, to use up a surplus or make up a deficiency, thereby maintaining or returning to a stable condition; to hold on the slack, to skulk; to be lazy (1864 Slang Dict.).
| 1794 Rigging & Seamanship 95 Topsails are allowed 3 inches slack in every cloth in the foot. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 437 When the sledge is in motion,..it pulls up the slack of the rope from the bottom of the rope-walk. 1867 F. Francis Angling viii. (1880) 281 Gathering the line up..so that no slack hangs about. 1899 F. T. Bullen Log of Sea-waif 89, I sat on the poop beside the tiller, hauling back the slack of the wheel-ropes. 1915 J. London Jacket viii. 63 Jones was forcing his foot into my back in order to cinch me tighter, while I was trying with my muscle to steal slack. 1930 Economist 21 June 1391/2 There is general agreement that the termination of the Stevenson Scheme left the industry with much more ‘slack’ to take up than was realised two years ago. 1933 Sun (Baltimore) 12 Sept. 1/6 The American Federation of Labor..was framing demands for further..wage-boosting to take up employment slack. 1957 Economist 16 Nov. 610/2 Sir Alexander Fleck's investigations may show just how much slack has crept into an organization that should be, if anything, over-cautious. 1967 Times 28 Feb. (Canada Suppl.) 33 There is the feeling that slack will develop as the year progresses. 1972 A. MacVicar Golden Venus Affair vi. 61 It was a comfort having somebody like Mary Jo to take up the slack of decision-making. 1980 B. Paul First Gravedigger v. 60 We'd no longer be handling his speciality... Our new rare books department in London would take up the slack. |
b. colloq. The seat of a pair of trousers.
| 1848 Lowell Biglow P. Ser. i. ii, To take a feller up jest by the slack o' 's trowsis. 1879 Waugh Chimney Corner 229, I took it bi th' slack o'th' breeches, an' chuck't it into th' poand. |
c. Phr. to give (or cut) (a person) some slack, to show (a person) understanding or restraint, to give (one) a chance. U.S. slang (chiefly Blacks').
| 1968 M. F. Jackmon in Jones & Neal Black Fire (1969) 555 Say, baby, light'n up on me—gimme some slack. 1969 H. Rap Brown Die Nigger Die ii. 29 Now, if the brother couldn't come back behind that, I usually cut him some slack. 1971 Current Slang (Univ. S. Dakota) VI. 3 Cut me some slack!, to give one a chance (imperative). 1973 Black World May 39/1 Tradesmen give them no slack in the unfamiliar bargaining processes. |
5. pl. Trousers. Now spec. loosely-cut trousers for informal wear, esp. those worn by women.
| 1824 in Spirit Publ. Jrnls. (1825) 346 His inexpressibles (drab slacks) were napless. 1853 R. S. Surtees Sponge's Sp. Tour (1893) 232 Formidable in ‘slacks’, as he called his trousers. 1889 Pall Mall G. 28 Sept. 7/2 Eight nice little British sailors, in eight nice little pairs of white pants, called slacks. 1932 D. L. Sayers Have his Carcase ii. 31 He wore a pair of old flannel slacks, and a khaki shirt. 1937 Night & Day 29 July 22/2 Deeply to be deplored are such things as sandals..slacks and sun-top dresses. 1942 A. Christie Body in Library xii. 139 She was wearing grey slacks and an emerald jumper. 1947 W. S. Maugham Creatures of Circumstance 303 He changed from his business clothes into slacks and an old coat. 1956 A. H. Compton Atomic Quest i. 32 Dressed casually in slacks and a sweater, he invited me cordially into his study. 1966 J. Betjeman High & Low 56 The debs may turn disdainful backs On Pearl's uncouth mechanic slacks. 1968 Listener 10 Dec. 790/3 In Jordan, girls at Amman University have been instructed not to wear..slacks either, and, moreover, to keep off heavy make-up. 1979 R. Jaffe Class Reunion (1980) i. i. 27 Nor could you wear slacks or any other sort of pants to class, even in the snow. |
6. dial. and U.S. colloq. Impertinence, cheek.
| 1825 J. Neal Bro. Jonathan I. 156 ‘None o' your slack,’ says I..‘none o' your pokin' fun at me.’ 1842 H. J. Daniel Bride of Scio, etc. 177 Howld tha slack! Yer tongue young chap's too saucy. 1876 T. Hardy Ethelberta (1890) 357 Let's have none of your slack. 1901 Munsey's Mag. XXIV. 481/2 I've taken a lot of your slack for a month or two, and I'm..gettin' somewhat peevish. |
7. Pros. A syllable or part of a foot which does not receive stress.
| c 1883 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) 45 Every foot has one principal stress or accent, and this or the syllable it falls on may be called the Stress of the foot and the other part, the one or two unaccented syllables, the Slack. 1970 J. Malof Man. Eng. Meters i. 2 In the freer varieties of accentual verse, meter is determined simply by counting the number of stresses in the line.., ignoring the relatively unemphatic or unstressed syllables, which we call slacks. 1973 Word 1970 XXVI. 56 None or as many as six slacks may appear between such isochronous accents, though one, two, or three slacks are more normal. |
8. A street-walker or prostitute. slang.
| 1959 Encounter May 24 Slack, which is the call-girls' word for a street-girl. 1963 Observer 29 Sept. 31/4 A young master was asked by a boy..‘Can a slack (prostitute) work hard enough to earn a living?’ 1965 W. Young Eros Denied xiv. 141 The slack is afraid of disease, and afraid of the sex maniac who thinks it'd be fun to strangle her. |
9. Comb. slack suit, a pair of slacks with a matching jacket, as a fashionable garment for women; slack variable Math., a variable which expresses the difference between the two sides of an inequality.
| 1940 R. Chandler Farewell, my Lovely xxvii. 203 Miss Anne Riordan stood there, in a pale green *slack suit. 1973 H. Nielsen Severed Key viii. 91 She had..changed into a lime-green knitted slack-suit. |
| 1953 Cooper & Henderson Introd. Linear Programming i. ii. 6 These values λi (i = 10,11,{ddd}16) so introduced may be referred to as *slack variables... The requirement that the slack variables be non-negative merely extends the range of the subscript. 1974 Adby & Dempster Introd. Optimization Methods v. 156 At least some evidence exists which suggests that the use of slack variables is an effective method for handling inequality constraints, both linear and non-linear. |
▪ IV. slack, a. and adv.
(slæk)
Forms: 1 sleac, slæc, 3–5 slac, 4–6 slak (5 sclak), slakke, 4–7 slacke, 5– slack.
[Common Teut.: OE. sleac, slæc, = MDu. slac, slack- (Du. and Flem. dial. slak), MLG. slak (LG. slakk, slack), OHG. and MHG. slach (G. dial. schlach, also schlack), ON. slakr (Icel. slakur, Norw. and Sw. slak, Da. † slag). The stem is related to that of L. laxus.]
A. adj. I. 1. a. Of persons: Lacking in energy or diligence; inclined to be lazy or idle; remiss, careless; negligent or lax in regard to one's duties.
| Beowulf 2187 Ᵹeata bearn..wendon, þæt he sleac wære, æðeling unfrom. c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xvii. 125 Ðæt he..ne sie to stræc on ðære lare, ne to slæc on ðære mildheortnesse. c 1055 Byrhtferth's Handboc in Anglia VIII. 317 Þæt þam sleacan preoste ne þince to mycel ᵹeswinc þæt he undo his eaᵹan herto. 1340 Ayenb. 32 Huanne he is sleuuol,..uoryetinde, slak, and fallinde. c 1386 Chaucer Shipman's T. 413 Ye han mo slakkere dettours than am I. c 1400 Gamelyn 711 Allas! seide Gamelyn, þat euer I was so slak That I ne hadde broke his nekke. 1492 Bury Wills (Camden) 78 Yf he se othyr be slakke or necligent. 1535 Coverdale Hab. ii. 3 For in very dede he wil come, and not be slacke. 1577 Harrison England ii. i. (1877) i. 18 If they haue been found to be slacke, their negligence is openlie reprooued. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. iii. ii. vi. v. (1651) 576 Many slack and careless Parents..measure their childrens affections by their own. 1665 Dryden Ind. Emp. iii. i, The Truce will make the Guards more slack. 1741 Wesley Wks. (1872) I. 304, I put those of the women who were grown slack, into distinct Bands. 1793 Mann in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 438 A Government unhinged, an exhausted Treasury, and slack Allies. 1826 Disraeli Viv. Grey vi. ii, When you complained that you and meat had been but slack friends of late. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. II. xlix. 255 In such parts of the West.., if the sheriff is distant or slack, lynch law may usefully be invoked. |
b. With various constructions, esp. in with gerund or n., and to with inf. Also † slack of, short of (quot. 1605).
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 100 Se ðe on oðrum daᵹum sleac wære to godnysse. c 1000 in Anglia XI. 117 Handa mine..synd..sleace to æniᵹ wyrcenne god. 1535 Starkey Let. in England (1878) p. xxiv, I perceyue you haue byn slakker in wrytyng bycause you mor lokyd for ferther instructyon. 1535 Coverdale Eccl. v. 4 Yf thou make a vowe vnto God, be not slacke to perfourme it. 1605 Shakes. Lear i. iii. 9 If you come slacke of former seruices, You shall do well; the fault of it Ile answer. 1681 H. More Exp. Dan. ii. (1782) 97 Thy purged eye will see God is not slack..to fulfil his word. 1703 Clarendon's Hist. Reb. vi. §235 II. 96 Neither the King, nor the Parliament, being slack in pursuing the business by the Sword. 1753 Washington Jrnl. Writ. 1889 I. 33 The French were not slack in their Inventions to keep the Indians this Day also. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth iv, The sturdy armourer was not.. slack in keeping the appointment. 1867 S. Smiles Huguenots Eng. ix. (1880) 145 Louis was not slack to obey the injunction. 1867 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1877) I. App. 711 Florence was not slack at attributing crimes to Eadric. |
c. Slow in coming; tardy, late. rare—1.
| 1694 Echard Plautus 53 An empty Belly and a slack Guest, makes one as mad as the Devil. |
2. Not busy; having little work, etc. (Cf. 6.)
| 1834 Tait's Mag. I. 421/2 There are plenty of empty or slack hotels in Edinburgh that would answer your purpose. 1861 Dickens Gt. Expect. xv, As we are rather slack just now, if you would give me a half-holiday. 1870 Bartley Sq. Mile E. London 54 He would not mind when in work, but when slack he thought they should go free. |
II. 3. Of conduct, actions, etc.: Characterized by remissness or lack of energy.
| c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. v. xv. 442 Ðiode he swiðe druncennisse & monᵹum oðrum unalefednessum ðæs slæcran lifes. c 960 Rule St. Benet (Schröer) xviii. 44 Hit is ealles to sleac munuca þeowdom..ᵹif hie læsse singað on þære wucan. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 602 We sceolon asceacan ðone sleacan slæp us fram. 1534 More Treat. Passion ii. Wks. 1312/2 Their fastynges were also verye paynefull and precyse: and ours neglygent, slacke, and remysse. 1579 J. Northbrooke Agst. Dicing (1843) 20 The cause of my slacke and seldome comming to the church. 1608 Topsell Serpents (1658) 689 If they will decipher..a slow and slack victory, they picture a Scorpion. 1611 Bible Prov. x. 4 He becommeth poor that dealeth with a slacke hand. 1809 W. Irving Knickerb. vii. i. (1849) 382 The slack though fitful reign of William the Testy. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xxi. IV. 566 The correspondence gradually became more and more slack. 1857 Buckle Civiliz. I. xiv. 820 Some very great men have effected absolutely nothing, not because their labour was slack, but because their method was sterile. |
4. Of pace: Slow; not smart or hurried.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 138 Sum oðer munuc..mid sleaccre stalcunge his fotswaðum filiᵹde. c 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 2043 The nobleste of the grekes..caryeden the beere With slak paas. 1682 Dryden Medal 44 Their pace was formal, grave, and slack. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 243 As he came nearer, I found his Pace was slacker, because he had something in his Hand. 1844 Dickens Mart. Chuz. v, His companion slackened the slack pace of the horse. |
5. a. Comparatively weak or slow in operation; deficient in strength or activity; dull.
| c 1374 Chaucer Boeth. iii. met. ii. (1868) 68 Wiþ slakke and delitable soun of strenges. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. xxxvi. (Bodl. MS.), Whanne þe vertu is feble and slake it may nought sprede þe woosen and veynes into euerich place and side of þe body. 1547 Boorde Brev. Health §50 This infirmite doth come thorowe euyll, slacke, or slowe digestion. 1678 Butler Hud. iii. ii. 32 Rebellion now began for lack Of Zeal and Plunder to grow slack. 1688 Prior Seneca Dying 3 The moral Spaniard's ebbing Veins, By Study worn, and slack with Age. 1786 F. Burney Diary 7 Aug., I pretended not to understand him. I am forced to that method of slack comprehension continually. 1802–12 Bentham Ration. Judic. Evid. Wks. 1827 IV. 81 It may be imagined whether imitation is in danger of being slack. 1826 Art of Brewing (ed. 2) 15 Many brewers hesitate in applying what are called slack liquors, lest their worts should be foul. 1865 M. Arnold Ess. Crit. v. (1875) 201 The culture of Germany—so wide,..that it is apt to become slack and powerless. |
b. Of heat, etc.: Not strong or excessive; gentle, moderate.
| 1495 Trevisa's Barth. De P.R. ix. xv. 356 Thys monthe [July] the heete is stronge in the begynnynge and slacker in the ende. 1662 J. Chandler Van Helmont's Oriat. 57 They give the greatest coldness to the water, with a slack or mean moystness. 1735 Dict. Polygraph. s.v. Varnish, Harden it..first with a slack heat, the next with a warmer, and the third with a very hot one. 1741 Compl. Fam.-Piece i. iii. 228 Set them in a slack Oven till they are tender. 1892 Daily News 11 Mar. 5/8 Three-fourths of the blast furnaces have been put on slack blast. |
c. Of wind, or tide: Blowing, or running, with very little strength or speed.
| 1670 Milton Hist. Eng. ii. Wks. 1851 V. 38 Cæsar..about sun sett, hoysing saile with a slack South-West, at mid⁓night was becalm'd. 1817 Coleridge Biogr. Lit., Satyrane's Lett. i, The wind continuing slack. 1853 Sir H. Douglas Milit. Bridges (ed. 3) 218 Pontoons used as row⁓boats, when the tide was slack. 1892 W. C. Russell List Ye Landsmen xi, The breeze has fallen slack. |
6. a. Of work, etc.: Not brisk or active.
| 1813 Sporting Mag. XLII. 119 When betting became slack. 1821 Clare Vill. Minstr. I. 17 Discourses..'Bout work being slack, and rise and fall of bread. 1873 C. Robinson N.S. Wales 50 The work..is not always continuous as the demand is sometimes slack. |
b. Of times: Characterized by inactivity or dullness in work or business.
| 1828 Carr Craven Gloss. s.v., Slack times. 1833 H. Martineau Manch. Strike ix. 99 A slack season in which many workmen remain unemployed. 1894 Field 1 Dec. 838/2 There would be a slack three weeks between two of the fruit crops. |
III. 7. a. Not drawn or held tightly or tensely; relaxed, loose.
| 13.. K. Alis. 1252 (W.), The stedes ronnon with slak bridel. c 1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 605 The slakke skyn aboute his nekke shaketh. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 317/2 Lusch, or slak, laxus. 1530 Palsgr. 324/1 Slacke, nat fast togyther, lasche. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. Mar. 83 His..siluer bowe, which was but slacke. 1621 in Foster Eng. Factories Ind. (1906) I. 272 In the morning wee bore a slack saile. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. ii. 4 The Stays were very slack, being loosened by the force of the Wind the day before. 1798 Landor Gebir vii. 52 The slack cordage rattles round the mast. 1826 S. Cooper First Lines Surg. (ed. 5) 136 It was an invariable rule with me to be sure that the bandage was slack. 1879 Beerbohm Patagonia iii. 29 The slack canvas being no longer water-tight, little pools of water gathered round the furs and saddle-cloths. |
b. In fig. contexts.
| 1590 R. Hitchcock Quint. Wit 13 Wicked men let slacke their raines with liberty to follow vice. 1648 Nicholas Papers (Camden) 104 To reward merritt and punish offenders.., not letting slacke the raignes. 1873 Browning Red Cotton Night-Cap Country 1530 Somewhere must a screw be slack! |
c. Free from confinement. rare—1.
| 1565 Golding Ovid's Met. i. (1593) 9 Eche one of them unloosed his spring, and let the water slacke. |
d. Not contracted; open, wide. rare—1.
| 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. (1586) 74 b, You must take heed..that the cleft be not to slacke nor to strait. |
e. Phonetics. Of a vowel: = lax a. 5 c.
| 1909 H. C. Wyld Elem. Lessons Eng. Gram. ii. 28 Vowels formed with the tongue tense we call Tense Vowels, those with the tongue soft we call Slack Vowels. 1934 C. Davies Eng. Pronunc. from 15th to 18th Cent. 8 It was probably a slack, round mid-back, vowel. 1970 B. M. H. Strang Hist. Eng. 285 The letter æ represents a long, low, slack front vowel /æ:/ in dælan. |
8. Lacking cohesiveness or solidity; not compact or firm; crumbling, loose; soft.
| c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. ix. 72 Slak [v.r. sclak] sonde, lymous and lene, vnswete & depe. 1608 Topsell Serpents (1658) 785 Of these Cobwebs..some..are loose, weak, slack, and not well bound: other contrary-wise well compacted. 1830 M. Donovan Domest. Econ. I. 91 When malt which has been thus sprinkled remains some time in store, it grows soft, or slack, as it is called. 1897 Daily News 29 Dec. 4/7 The mud, which was a cake during the frost, became slack dough with the thaw. |
9. a. Of the hand: Not holding or grasping firmly. Also in fig. context.
| 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 892 From his slack hand the Garland wreath'd for Eve Down drop'd. 1722 De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 158 A slack hand had..been held upon them. 1726 Pope Odyss. xix. 548 Down dropp'd the leg, from her slack hand releas'd. 1856 Bryant Hymn to Death 57 His slack hand Drops the drawn knife. 1871 Palgrave Lyrical Poems 120 Some finish'd thing, Ere the slack hands at eve Drop, should be his to leave. |
b. Similarly of one's hold of anything.
| 1836 Mrs. Browning Poet's Vow ii. i, A somewhat slacker hold. 1876 Smiles Sc. Natur. ii. (ed. 4) 29 Her hold getting a little slacker, he made a sudden bolt. |
10. Special collocations. slack barrel, slack cask, one made to hold dry goods; slack-course (see quot. 1875); slack helm (see quot. 1867); slack key (Mus.) [tr. Hawaiian kī hō‘alu, f. kī key + hō‘alu slack], used absol. and attrib., esp. as slack-key guitar, with reference to a style of guitar-playing originating in Hawaii, in which the strings are slightly relaxed to produce strong bass resonances; slack lip, = slack-jaw; slack party (Naut. slang) (see quots.); slack wire, a wire not drawn tight, on which an acrobat performs.
| 1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 338 *Slack barrels are..extensively employed. |
| Ibid., Tight or wet and dry or *slack cask manufacture. |
| 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 2197/2 *Slack-course (Knitting-machine), a range of loops or stitches more open than those which precede them. |
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 630 *Slack helm, if the ship is too much by the stern, she will carry her helm too much a-lee. |
| 1975 G. S. Kanahele in Ha'ilono Mele Jan. 2/2 Our first concert [in 1972] was memorable. It featured the *slack key guitar, the first time that an entire concert was devoted to this unique style of playing. 1976 Guitar Player Apr. 14/2 The original style is kept alive solely by those guitarists who insist on playing only slack key. 1977 Zigzag Mar. 20/1 Could you explain about slack-key guitar? |
| 1899 F. T. Bullen Log of Sea-waif 104 No man durst give him ‘*slack lip’ on pain of being instantly knocked endways. |
| 1933 J. Masefield Conway iv. 145 For official punishments there was an institution known as ‘*slack party’, which meant employment upon every available job..from morning till night. 1945 ‘Tackline’ Holiday Sailor 133 Jimmy's pet form of punishment was his ‘slack party’. Hands tardy in going on watch or performing some allotted task with lack of zeal were enrolled in the slack party. And the slack party did not lead an especially restful existence. |
| 1753 N.-Y. Mercury 20 Aug. 3/3 The Surprizing Performances of the celebrated Anthony Joseph Dugee..On a *Slack Wire scarcely perceptible and without a Balance. 1825 Hone Every-day Bk. I. 1185 Another female danced on the slack-wire. 1866 M. Mackintosh Stage Reminisc. xi. 138 Andrew was at once a good tight-rope dancer and slack-wire vaulter. 1977 E. Ambler Send no more Roses viii. 183 A slack-wire baggy-pants act out of a third-rate circus. |
IV. 11. Comb. a. Parasynthetic adjs., as slack-backed, slack-fingered, slack-haired, slack-hammed, slack-handed, slack-jawed, slack-mouthed, etc.
| 1642 Rogers Naaman 301 Debaucht and slacke hayred companions. a 1661 B. Holyday Juvenal (1673) 20 O, there's a monstrous league between these soft And slack-ham'd pathicks! 1674 J. Flavel Husb. Spiritualized i. 22 What, now slack-handed, when so neer to my everlasting rest! 1796 Grose's Dict. Vulgar T., Slag, a slack-mettled fellow, one not ready to resent an affront. 1822 G. W. Manby Voy. Greenland 130 In what are called slack-backed fish. 1881 G. Meredith Tragic Comed. 92 This time if I let you slip, may I be stamped slack-fingered! 1897 Rhoscomyl White Rose Arno 25 A slack-lipped specimen of the young blood of the period. 1901 Kipling Kim iii. 76 Our colonel used to send for slack-jawed down-country men who talked too much. 1936 W. Faulkner Absalom, Absalom! 44 Wild-eyed and considerably slack-mouthed. 1942 ― Go down, Moses 32 He stood for perhaps ten seconds, slackjawed with amazed and incredulous comprehension. 1976 J. Carroll Mortal Friends ii. iii. 170 The people were Catholics nearly to a person, and they stared slack-jawed at the line of nuns. 1976 P. Cave High Flying Birds iii. 42, I continued to gaze at Sonya with slack-mouthed adoration. |
† b. slack-grace, one who has little grace. Obs.
| 1623 R. Carpenter Consc. Christian 29 Weaklings and slacke-graces, set not their hands to the worke. |
B. adv. a. In a slack manner; loosely, slackly.
| 1641 Milton Reform. i. Wks. 1851 III. 7 Persecuting the Protestants no slacker then the Pope would have done. 1658 A. Fox Würtz' Surg. v. 357 It is better they [the joints] be bound slack a whole week, than too hard one hour. 1712 J. James tr. Le Blond's Gardening 81 Makes the Joint go stiffer, or slacker, at Pleasure. 1854 A. E. Baker Northampt. Gloss. s.v., Tradesmen..say, ‘Money comes in very slack’. |
b. With pa. pples., as slack-done, slack-dried, slack-laid, slack-salted, slack-sized, slack-spun, slack-tethered.
| 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. (1681) 153 A handful of slack-dried Hops will mar and spoil many pounds. 1794 Rigging & Seamanship 56 Slack-laid means slack-twisted. Ibid. 59 If slack-spun, it will break. 1854 A. E. Baker Northampt. Gloss. s.v., Anything dressed before a slack fire, or in a slow oven, as ‘slack-done meat’. 1862 Rawlinson Ancient Mon., Chaldæa I. v. 91 A third [brick], the coarsest of all, is slack-dried, and of a pale red. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 98 On the towpath by the lock a slacktethered horse. |
▸ slang. a. orig. Caribbean (derogatory). Of a person, esp. a woman: promiscuous. Cf. loose adj. 7.
| 1956 in F. G. Cassidy & R. B. Le Page Dict. Jamaican Eng. (1967) 412/1 Slack,..is used of girls of loose morals. 1990 Independent 24 Feb. 6/8 The other side of her personality that had not been described, that she is slack, the woman is slack. 1995 D. McLean Bunker Man 22 There was sprayed stuff too... There was a lot of marker stuff... Kick A Police Today...E's Are Good... Mhairi Scott Is A Slag, She Is Slack. |
b. Caribbean. (a) Immoral, unprincipled, improper (depreciative); (b) (Jamaican (esp. of language) lewd, sexually explicit.
In sense Additions b(b), particularly associated with reggae music, esp. the spoken lyrics of the dancehall and ragga genres.
| 1976 Sunday Chron. (Georgetown, Guyana) 8 Aug. 27 He told me that I must consider him a friend and not as a ‘slack’ doctor. I would like to know if this doctor was trying to exploit my innocence or if it is really his duty to do what he did to me. 1979 ‘General Echo’ Slackest LP (perf. under the name ‘Ranking Slackness’) (title of record) The slackest LP. 1992 Voice 22 Dec. (Suppl.) 13/2 At best, the Whine [sc. a dance] can be described as a form of self-expression practised by women, alone, with men standing around watching... It has been described as degrading, dirty and slack with a capital ‘S’. 1995 Guardian 4 Aug. (Friday Rev.) 14/1 Even the veteran king of ‘slack’ chat, Yellowman, helpfully suggested he stop talking about gays, as if they might ‘go away’. 1997 in S. Barrow & P. Dalton Reggae vii. 307/1 Me nah do slack deejay talk. 1998 Everybody's: Caribbean–Amer. Mag. 30 June 52 In spite of the controversy she creates with her ‘slack’ lyrics, most of her fans love this lady raw. |
▪ V. slack, v.
(slæk)
Also 6–7 slacke, 6 Sc. slak.
[f. slack a., in some senses taking the place of the earlier slake v. Cf. MDu. and older Flem. slacken, Flem. dial. slakken, Norw. slakka.]
I. trans.
1. To be slack or remiss in respect of (some business, duty, etc.); to leave undone or not properly attended to.
| 1530 Palsgr. 720/2 Whye slacke you your busynesse thus? 1549 Latimer 7th Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 201 What a remorse of conscience shall ye haue, when ye remembre howe ye haue slacked your dutye. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 88 Who slacketh his tillage, a carter to bee, for grote got abrode, at home lose shall three. 1605 Shakes. Lear ii. iv. 248 Why not my Lord? If then they chanc'd to slacke ye, We could comptroll them. 1621 Quarles Hadassa §2 Wks. (Grosart) II. 48/2 But in contempt, she slacks our dread behest, Neglects performance of our deare Request. a 1659 Bp. Brownrig Serm. (1674) I. i. 16 Fear had made him..slack the performance of what he had promised. 1831 Scott Cast. Dang. viii, My duty has limits, and if I slack it for a day [etc.]. 1886 C. Scott Sheep-Farming 76 Breeding ewes that are kept too well..seldom acquit themselves so well..as those that have been slacked a little in winter. |
† b. To neglect (an opportunity, etc.); to allow to slip or pass by. Obs.
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VII, 27 b, The occasion of so glorious a victory..was..putte by and shamefully slacked. 1597 Daniel Civ. Wars iii. lxxiv, This good chaunce, that thus much favoureth, He slackes not. 1612 T. Taylor Comm. Titus iii. 1 Slacke not this thy tearme-time, but get..knowledge of God. 1697 Dryden æneid v. 834 Time calls you now,..Slack not the good Presage. |
† c. To lose or waste (time). Obs.
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VI, 161 Like a spedy purvior, whiche slacketh not time. 1591 Sir H. Savile Tacitus, Hist. ii. xlviii. 82 Lest by slacking the time they prouoked his further displeasure. 1633 A. Stafford Pac. Hib. i. v. (1821) 72 Slack not time..to prosecute him freshly in the Reare-ward. |
2. To cease to go on with, or prosecute, in a vigorous and energetic manner; to allow to fall off or decline. Also to slack one's hand(s), to diminish one's exertions or activity.
| 1520 State Papers, Hen. VIII, VI. 63 Though the preparacions here bene slacked, because moche money nedith. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. II. 143 The king of clemencie tha besocht, to slak the seige a lytle. 1638 Junius Paint. Ancients 15 Neither is there any reason why we should slacke our endeavours. 1687 Miége Gt. Fr. Dict. ii, To slack his hand, in point of Liberality, to give less liberally, être moins liberal. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 292 If they slack their Hands, or cease to strive, Then down the Flood with headlong haste they drive. 1790 Wesley Jrnl. 1 Jan., I do not slack my labour. I can preach and write still. 1835 Willis Melanie 57, I did not slack my love of life and hope of pleasure. |
b. To allow to mitigate or abate. rare.
| 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 161 Consideryng how the Turke slacketh nothyng of his fiersenes. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. ix. 25 Yet neither would their fiendlike fury slacke, But euermore their malice did augment. 1609 Tourneur Funeral Poem Sir F. Vere 231 With their obedience he did slacke the bent of his severitie in punishment. |
3. To reduce the force or strength of; to make less active, vigorous, or violent.
| 1589 Nashe Anat. Absurd. 36 There be three things which are wont to slack young Students endeuor. 1610 Histrio-mastix vi. 149 To waile our want, let speaking slacke the paine. 1639 S. Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 155 The boiling heate of your love will be..at least something slackt. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 122, I slack'd my Fire gradually. 1791 Cowper Iliad xxi. 399 Nor slack thy furious fires 'till with a shout I give command, then bid them cease to blaze. 1812 W. Taylor in Monthly Mag. XXXIV. 234 You ringers, slack the knell. |
b. To slake (one's thirst).
| 1631 Gouge God's Arrows v. x. 420 So much as might somewhat slacke their thirst. 1663 Aron-bimn. 29 Here is a Julip will slack his thirst. 1750 Beawes Lex Mercat. (1752) 1 A neighbouring spring slacked their thirst. 1864 Neale Seatonian Poems 52 One drop to find, his maddening thirst to slack. a 1904 A. Adams Log Cowboy v. 65 It was a novelty to see them reach the water and slack their thirst. |
4. To make lax, neglectful, or remiss.
| 1597 Marlowe Ovid's Elegies i. i, Love slack'd my Muse, and made my numbers soft. a 1631 Donne Lett. (1651) 30 Not to slack you towards those friends which are religious in other clothes then we. 1659 W. Brough Sacr. Princ. 441 Hold thy foot when he hath thus slackt thy heart. |
| refl. 1881 Ruskin Love's Meinie Pref. p. viii, Languages called living, but which live only to slack themselves into slang, or bloat themselves into bombast. |
5. To delay or retard; to render slower in respect of motion or progress. Also with up. Now rare.
| 1577 F. de Lisle's Legendarie I vj, When..the Kinge of Spaines embassador slacked his comming to y⊇ Council. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iv. i. 3, I am nothing slow to slack his hast. 1625 N. Carpenter Geogr. Del. i. iv. (1635) 80 All other bodies are slacked by the medium or Aire by which they are to moue. 1638 Rawley tr. Bacon's Life & Death (1650) 6 This..conserveth the greenness and slacketh the Dessication of it. 1891 Cent. Dict., To slack up, to retard the speed of, as a railway-train. |
b. To allow (one's pace, course, etc.) to become less rapid.
| 1633 Hart Diet of Diseased Ep. Ded. 1 It did not become one that was running a race, to intermit or slacke his pace. 1675 Otway Alcibiades iii. i, But you, Sir,..Missing your Game, can easily slack the Flight. 1704 Swift Battle Bks. Misc. (1711) 264 But Wotton..began to slack his Course. 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) I. 152 Here, slacking our pace, we found ourselves growing extremely sick. 1826 Hood Fall of the Deer 23 Slacking Pace at last From runninge slow he standeth faste. |
6. To make slack or loose; to render less tense or taut; to loosen, relax.
| 1530 Palsgr. 720/2, I slacke a knotte,..I lowse a thynge that was to strayte tyed, je lasche. Ibid., Slacke his gyrdell. 1596 Spenser F.Q. v. ii. 14 Ne euer Artegall his griple strong For any thing wold slacke, but still vppon him hong. 1608 Shakes. Per. iii. i. 43 Slack the bolins there! 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Isl. viii. i, The Sunne began to slack his bended bow. 1695 New Light Chirurg. put out 53 As often slacking the Turneke. 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl., Slack the hand, is to slack the bridle, or give a horse head. 1816 Scott Old Mort. xli, Tak the gentleman's horse to the stable, and slack his girths. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 630 Slack the laniard of our main-stay. |
b. With advs., as back, down, off, etc.
| 1806 Port of London Bye-Laws xxvii. (1807) 34 If the person..shall not..slack off the breastfasts of such ship. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 631 Slack up the hawser. 1869 Rankine Machine & Hand-tools Pl. Q 7, The saw can be instantly stopped by slacking back one of the slides. 1883 Cent. Mag. Sept. 654 With..the peak of the foresail slacked down. 1893 F. M. Crawford Children of King i. 8 A hand forward to slack out the cable. |
| fig. 1876 Besant & Rice Gold. Butterfly (1877) 280 Jack Dunquerque was to ‘Slack off’ his visits to Twickenham. |
c. absol.
| 1828 Scott F.M. Perth v, Give her line enough; but do not slack too fast. c 1860 H. Stuart Seaman's Catech. 27 Slack back two or three turns. 1884 Law Reports 9 App. Cases 426 They slacked astern about 25 feet. |
7. To cause (lime) to disintegrate by the action of water or moisture; to slake.
| 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 258 When you slack the Lime, take care to wet it every where a little. 1758 Reid tr. Macquer's Chym. I. 40 It..takes the form of a fine powder, and the title of ‘Lime slacked in the air’. 1812 Sir J. Sinclair Syst. Husb. Scot. i. 177 Lime, if exposed to rain,..and slacked like mortar, loses half its effect. 1905 Daily Mail 2 Jan. 5/6 Where 150 sacks of lime, slacked by the inrushing water, burst into flame and were destroyed. |
II. intr.
† 8. To delay, tarry. Obs. rare.
| 1530 Palsgr. 720/2 You have slacked to longe, you shulde have come afore. a 1553 Udall Royster D. ii. i, I woulde not haue slacked for ten thousand poundes. 1611 Cotgr., Tardiver, to linger, foreslow, slacke, delay. |
9. To be inactive or idle; to fail to exert oneself in a due manner. In mod. use colloq.
| 1543 Necess. Erudit. Chr. Man B iii, Those men..slacking in suche care and desyre, as they shulde haue to please god. 1582 Bentley Mon. Matrones ii. 6 Thou..also didst put hir [the soul] within this bodie, not for to slacke with sloth. c 1586 C'tess Pembroke Ps. xliv. xi, Up, O Lord,.. Sleepe not ever, slack not ever. |
| 1904 Daily Chron. 27 June 8/2 It is far better for any eleven to possess a duffer,—..provided he is a thorough ‘goer’—than a good player, however great, if he slacks. |
b. To neglect, to be backward or dilatory, to do something. Now rare.
| c 1560 E. G. in Farr S.P. Eliz. (1845) II. 505 Thy word to offer thou doest not slacke. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 66 Slack not my woords to remember. 1609 Bible (Douay) Ecclus. v. 8 Slacke not to be converted to our Lord. 1611 Bible Deut. xxiii. 21 When thou shalt vow a vow vnto the Lord.., thou shalt not slacke to pay it. 1886 C. Rossetti Poems (1904) 146 The kind Physician will not slack to treat His patient. |
10. Of persons (or animals): To become less energetic, active, or diligent.
| 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 323 b, After they..found in manner nothing, they begin somewhat to slack. 1607 Markham Caval. iii. (1617) 83 If..after a traine or two more they slacke againe the second time. 1623 Bingham Xenophon 30 In case any man appointed to worke seemed to slacke,..he chastised and put him off. 1779 T. Forrest Voy. N. Guinea 13 We rowed with fourteen oars, and continued so most part of the day, slacking at times when it was very hot. 1875 Morris in Mackail Life (1899) I. 319, I have somewhat slacked from the Virgil translation. |
b. Similarly with off.
| 1864 C. M. Yonge Trial xvi. (1882) 243 If he slacks off in his respect or affection for you. 1884 Bazaar 17 Dec. 647/2 This young artist..has not slacked off, as so many do when a certain..standard is reached. |
11. To diminish in strength or speed; to become weaker or slower; to moderate in some respect.
| c 1580 in Hakluyt Voy. (1598) I. 453 The storme began to slacke, otherwise we had bene in ill case. 1601 Holland Pliny ii. xvi. I. 11 For that naturall motions doe either hasten or slacke. a 1635 Naunton Fragm. Reg. (Arb.) 37 If the fire chance to slack which I have kindled. 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World 69 Just as we had gained somewhat more than mid passage, the tide slack'd. 1788 M. Cutler in Life, etc. (1888) I. 394 Rain slacked about six, and we set out. 1865 W. G. Palgrave Arabia II. 313 The breeze slacked, and we slowly worked up to the north. 1880 ‘Mark Twain’ Tramp Abr. 274 One expected to see the locomotive pause, or slack up a little. |
b. Of affairs, business, etc.: To fall off; to go more slowly; to be less brisk.
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. iii. iii. 24 Their negotiations all must slacke, Wanting his mannage. 1831 R. Shennan Tales 37 When business had begun to slack. |
12. To become less tense, rigid, or firm.
| 1577 Harrison England ii. v. (1877) i. 117 Hir garter, which slacked by chance and so fell from her leg. 1592 J. Davies Immort. Soul iii. vii. (1714) 33 When the Body's strongest Sinews slack, Then is the Soul most active. 1773 Fergusson Poems (1789) ii. 87 How maun their weyms wi' sairest hunger slack! 1820 Scoresby Acc. Arctic Reg. I. 215 The ice slacked, and the ship was towed..to the east⁓ward. 1825 Jamieson Suppl., To Slack,..to become flaccid. Ibid., A tumour is said to slack. |
13. Of lime, etc.: To become disintegrated under the action of moisture.
| 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 242 Lime..appears to be cold, but Water excites it again, whereby it Slacks and crumbles into fine Powder. 1760 R. Brown Compl. Farmer ii. 46 Good marle in hot weather will slack with the heat of the sun like lime. 1874 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 15 It..often crumbles to powder, even the pebbles of a certain sort ‘slacking’ to a sandy consistency. |