▪ I. slouch, n.
(slaʊtʃ)
Forms: 6 slouche, sloutche, 7 slowch(e, 7– slouch (8 dial. zlouch).
[Of obscure origin: cf. slouk, and dial. slotch in the same sense. Senses 3 and 4 are from the vb.]
1. a. An awkward, slovenly, or ungainly man; a lubber, lout, clown; also, a lazy, idle fellow.
Freq. in 16th and 17th c. as a term of disparagement without precise significance.
| 1515 Barclay Cyt. & Uplondyshman Prol., A lordes stomake and a beggers pouche Full yll accordeth, suche was this comely slouche. c 1566 Merie Tales of Skelton in S.'s Wks. (1843) I. p. lxv, A cobler..which was a tall man and a greate slouen, otherwyse named a slouche. 1608 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. iv. iv. Decay 1077 The louzie Couch Of some base Ruffon, or some beastly Slouch. 1642 H. More Song of Soul i. iii. 8 A foul great stooping slouch with heavie eyes, And hanging lip. 1709 Brit Apollo No. 61. 3/2 A Capacious Pouch, Which look'd like Tail at Rump of Slouch. 1714 Gay Sheph. Week i. 39 Begin thy Carrols then, thou vaunting Slouch. 1785 Grose Dict. Vulgar T., Slouch,..a negligent slovenly fellow. 1808 J. Stagg Misc. Poems 143 Ye'd luok but silly slouches. 1881– in dial. glossaries (I. of W., Berks., Lancs.). 1884 Stevenson Lett. (1901) I. 342, I recognise myself, compared with you, to be a lout and slouch of the first water. |
b. orig. U.S. slang. A poor, indifferent, or inefficient thing, place, person, etc. Chiefly in the negative phrase no slouch of (something); also const. at or with qualifying phr.
| (a) 1796 A. Barton Disappointment iii. i. 73 He's no slouch of a fellow. 1840 C. F. Hoffman Greyslaer II. ii. x. 23 You are no slouch of a woodsman to carry a yearling of such a heft as that. 1869 ‘Mark Twain’ Innoc. Abr. iv. 27 It..became a most lamentable ‘slouch of a journal’. 1879 Tourgee Fool's Errand 308 The mare..was no slouch, either. 1888 Lees & Clutterbuck B.C. 1887 xxxiii. (1892) 366 We came to Spokane Falls, which seemed to be ‘no slouch of a city’. 1924 Galsworthy White Monkey iii. x. 281 ‘No slouch of a miracle!’ he thought, ‘modern town life!’ |
| (b) 1874 J. W. Long Amer. Wild-fowl. viii. 139, I guess you a'n't much of a ‘slouch’ at shooting. 1898 F. T. Bullen Cruise ‘Cachalot’ x. 107 He was no ‘slouch’ at the business either. 1956 People 13 May 4/5 But Tony, no slouch when it comes to showmanship, helped it along by wearing..a rose brocade dinner jacket. 1961 Coast to Coast 1959–60 42 Speaking of Bradman, Mr Stulpnagel, they say you were no mean slouch with the bat yourself. 1967 G. F. Fiennes I tried to run a Railway ii. 7 He, Happy, himself no slouch at basic English, was revolted by George's language. 1978 R. Holles Spawn v. 42 He was making his pile... He's certainly no slouch in the business world. |
2. ellipt. A slouch hat or bonnet.
| 1714–28 in N. & Q. 5th Ser. XI. 247/1 Paid 20s. for a ribbon and slouch for Molly. c 1754 Garrick Epil. Fielding's Fathers, The high-cocked, half-cocked quaker, and the slouch, Have at ye all! 1867 F. H. Ludlow Fleeing to Tarshish 189 With his long grey hair streaming from under his slouch. 1891 E. Kinglake Australian 107 His hat is either small, round and hard, or a black slouch. |
3. a. A stooping, or bending forward of the head and shoulders, in walking; a loose, ungainly carriage or bearing; a walk or gait characterized by this.
| 1725 Swift Corr. Wks. 1841 II. 579 He hath a sort of a slouch in his walk! 1771 Mackenzie Man of Feeling xi, He was known by the slouch in his gait, and the length of his stride. 1835 Marryat J. Faithful iii, The slouch in the back is taken out, their heavy walk is changed to a firm..tread. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. i. xii, Making himself more round-shouldered..by the sullen and persistent slouch. 1885 J. Runciman Skippers & Shellbacks 258 The slight slouch that most of our men cultivated. |
b. Const. of (the shoulders, etc.).
| 1825 Hone Every-day Bk. I. 881 The carter..plods with double slouch of shoulder. 1892 Stevenson Across Plains v. 176 The very slouch of the fellows' shoulders tells their story. |
4. The fact or condition of slouching or hanging down loosely.
| 1851 Mayne Reid Scalp Hunt. ix, Fierce glances lower under the slouch of broad sombreros. |
▪ II. slouch
obs. Sc. f. slough n.2
▪ III. slouch, a. rare.
[f. the n. or v., or back-formation from combs. like slouch-eared.]
† 1. Drooping or hanging loosely; slouching.
| 1688 Holme Armoury iii. 207/1 Temptation or Sathan..is drawn with a Dragons head and Wings, to the middle like a Man with slouch hanging Breasts. 1709 Lond. Gaz. No. 4540/8 A..Bay Gelding,..hath large slouch Ears. 1829 Widowson Pres. St. Van Diemen's Land 142 A very large head, Roman nose, slouch ears. |
2. dial. Clownish, loutish; slovenly. Also Comb.
| 1837 Thornber Hist. Blackpool 110. 1886 Spectator 1587 An educated loafer, the aimless, shiftless, slouch-souled dependant. |
3. Slouched. (Cf. slouch hat.)
| 1812 E. Weeton Let. 15 June (1969) II. 34, I had on a small slouch straw hat, a grey stuff jacket, and petticoat. 1844 L. S. Costello Béarn & Pyrenees I. x. 179 All the bathers..were in cloaks and slouch bonnets. |
▪ IV. slouch, v.
(slaʊtʃ)
[app. f. the n., or the ppl. a. (slouching), which is found earlier. Cf. dial. slotch in sense 1.
For dialect forms and senses, see the Eng. Dial. Dict.]
1. intr. To move or walk with a slouch or in a loose and stooping attitude. Const. with advs. or preps.
| 1754 Fielding J. Wild i. xiv, They with lank ears and tails slouch sullenly on. 1768–74 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) I. 151 The circumstance of slouching through mire. a 1845 Barham Ingold. Leg. Ser. iii. Jarvis's Wig (1905) 502 In a few minutes his tiny figure was seen ‘slouching’ up the ascent. 1862 Sala Seven Sons II. vii. 179 He slouched to and fro on his beat in the dockyard. 1886 Jerome Idle Thoughts 42 A genuine idler..is not a man who slouches about with his hands in his pockets. |
| fig. 1880 Times 30 Aug. 4/3 They slouched through their lives with a look of cheerful ignorance on their faces. |
b. To carry oneself with a slouch or stoop; to droop the head and shoulders.
| 1755 Johnson, Slouch, to have a downcast clownish look. 1785 Grose Dict. Vulgar T., To slouch, to hang down one's head. 1884 Cambridge Rev. 10 Dec. 131 He slouched over his oar very badly at the finish. 1900 E. Glyn Visits Elizabeth (1906) 54, I am going to be like her, and not like the women at Nazeby (who all slouched). |
c. Of a hat: To hang down, droop.
| 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xliii, Even the old hat looked smarter;..instead of slouching backward or forward on the Laird's head [etc.]. 1845 Browning Flight of Duchess x, What signified hats if they had no rims on, Each slouching before and behind like the scallop? |
2. trans. To put on, or pull down, (one's hat) in such a way that it partly conceals the face.
| 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) I. 126 Slouching my hat, I slid out of doors. 1815 Scott Guy M. xxvi, The villains wore their hats much slouched. 1818 ― Br. Lamm. ix, His hat was unlooped and slouched. [1828–32 in Webster; hence in later Dicts.] |
b. Const. over (the face, brow, etc.).
| 1806 T. S. Surr Winter in London I. 165 Slouching his hat over his face, he motioned Edward..to depart. 1858 Lytton What will He do? ii. xiv, He wore a large hat of foreign make, slouched deep over his brow. 1870 Morris Earthly Paradise III. iv. 41 [He] slouched down his hat Yet farther o'er his brows. |
3. a. To go or make (one's way) in a slouching manner. In quot. fig.
| 1861 Geo. Eliot Silas M. 58 Having slouched their way through life with a consciousness of being in the vicinity of their ‘betters’. |
b. To stoop or bend (the shoulders).
| 1865 Kingsley Herew. II. xi. 170 The Wake slouched his shoulders, and looked as mean a churl as ever. |
c. To make (a bow) with a slouch or stoop.
| 1897 Meredith Amazing Marriage viii, Woodseer passed him, slouching a bow. |