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SLATHER

 - 3 dictionary results

slath⋅er

  [slath-er] Informal.
Use SLATHER in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to spread or apply thickly: to slather butter on toast.
2. to spread something thickly on (usually fol. by with): to slather toast with butter.
3. to spend or use lavishly.
–noun
4. Often, slathers. a generous amount: slathers of money.
—Idiom
5. open slather, Australian. complete freedom.
Origin:
1810–20, in sense “to slip, slide”; orig. uncert.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To SLATHER
slath·er   (slāth'ər)   
tr.v.   slath·ered, slath·er·ing, slath·ers Informal

  1. To use or give great amounts of; lavish: slathered gifts and attention on their only child.

    1. To spread thickly: slather onions on the steak.

    2. To cover with something spread thickly: bagels slathered with cream cheese.

n.  Slang A great amount. Often used in the plural: slathers of jewels.

[Origin unknown.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

slather  (v.)
"spread liberally," 1866 (in Mark Twain), from a noun meaning "large amount" (usually as plural, slathers), first attested 1857; a dialectal word of uncertain origin, perhaps from Ir. sliotar.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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