| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
sluice (sluːs) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | Also called: sluiceway a channel that carries a rapid current of water, esp one that has a sluicegate to control the flow |
| 2. | the body of water controlled by a sluicegate |
| 3. | See sluicegate |
| 4. | mining an inclined trough for washing ore, esp one having riffles on the bottom to trap particles |
| 5. | an artificial channel through which logs can be floated |
| 6. | informal a brief wash in running water |
| —vb | |
| 7. | (tr) to draw out or drain (water, etc) from (a pond, etc) by means of a sluice |
| 8. | (tr) to wash or irrigate with a stream of water |
| 9. | (tr) mining to wash in a sluice |
| 10. | (tr) to send (logs, etc) down a sluice |
| 11. | (intr; |
| 12. | (tr) to provide with a sluice |
| [C14: from Old French escluse, from Late Latin exclūsa aqua water shut out, from Latin exclūdere to shut out, | |
| 'sluicelike | |
| —adj | |