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slug¹ Definition

slug (slug)

noun

  1. any of a large number of small, gastropod mollusks, esp. the ones resembling a land snail, but having only a rudimentary internal shell buried in the mantle
  2. a smooth, soft moth (family Eucleidae) or sawfly larva, resembling a slug
  3. a person, vehicle, etc. that moves sluggishly

Etymology: ME slugge, slow, clumsy person or thing < Scand, as in Swed dial. slogga, to be sluggish < IE base *(s)leu-, to hang loosely, lax > sludge

slug² Definition

slug (slug)

noun

  1. a small piece or lump of metal; specif., a bullet
  2. ☆ a piece of metal shaped like and used in place of a coin in automatic coin machines; esp., such a substitute coin when used illegally
  3. Printing
    1. a strip of metal used to add space between lines of type
    2. a line of type made in one piece or strip, as by a linotype machine
    3. a short heading, often a single word, indicating the subject of copy
  4. Physics a unit of mass, equal to c. 14.6 kg (c. 32.2 lb), to which a force of one pound imparts an acceleration of one foot per second per second

Etymology: prob. < slug

transitive verb slugged, slug·ging

Printing to insert (a slug) between lines

slug³ Definition

slug (slug)

noun

Slang a single drink, esp. of straight alcoholic liquor

Etymology: prob. < Dan sluge, to gulp; akin to Ger schlucken, to swallow < IE base *(s)leug- > OIr slucim, (I) swallow

slug4 Definition

slug (slug)

transitive verb slugged, slug·ging

Informal to hit hard, esp. with the fist or a bat

Etymology: < dial. (Shetland) slog, slag, a blow < ON slag, akin to OE slean, to strike: see slay

noun

Informal a hard blow or hit

slug Synonyms

slug

n.

slug Usage Examples

Object

percentage: And baseball allows each player his own private measures of success: batting averages, slugging percentages and, of course, home runs.

Converse of object

  • deter: Did you know coffee grinds are great for deterring slugs?
  • eat: No worse than them eating too many slugs I suppose.
  • kill: Kill the slugs = no eggs or destroy the eggs = no slugs.
  • pick: Well, have to have something nice to think about whilst picking the horrible slugs off your brassicas!
  • attract: These traps will only attract slugs from a nearby area.
  • keep: Still the dry worked wonders keeping the slugs down.

Converse of subject

eat: The lettuce is eaten by the slug, the slug is eaten by the bird.

Adjective modifier

  • gray: You can always see the lazy common seals lying about sunbathing like large gray slugs.
  • dead: Dead slugs & snails left for a few days in water to ferment.
  • black: There will be no big black slugs shot at, only the ones you shoot through your gun.

Modifies a noun

  • pellet: Your post was timely, I shall sprinkle some slug pellets around them to keep them safe.
  • traps: Use slug traps filled with beer or milk instead of pellets.
  • bait: Check if your neighbors use slug bait especially if they are keen gardeners to be sure.
  • deterrent: Is it purely as a pet, for eggs, as a snail and slug deterrent or for meat?
  • killer: The Chemicals Slug pellets are probably the most used forms of chemical slug killers.
  • trap: A slug trap, or slug pub, can be recessed in the soil, filled with either a commercial bait or beer.

Noun used with modifier

  • sea: I discovered I don't like sea slug, however beautifully cooked.
  • copper: You drop the now-empty shell into any glass, grin, and the copper slug is shinning BETWEEN YOUR TEETH!
  • garden: I think I can answer some of these questions by considering the behavior of garden slugs living on a hard ceramic floor.

Browse dictionary entries near slug

  1. sluff
  2. slue
  3. sludgeworm
  4. sludge
  5. slub
  6. SLR
  7. sloyd
  8. slowworm
  9. slowpoke
  10. slowness
  1. slugabed
  2. slugfest
  3. sluggard
  4. slugger
  5. slugging percentage
  6. sluggish
  7. sluggishness
  8. sluice
  9. sluiceway
  10. slum