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slicker

 - 8 dictionary results

slick⋅er

1[slik-er]
–noun
1. a long, loose oilskin raincoat.
2. any raincoat.
3. Informal.
a. a swindler; a sly cheat.
b. city slicker.

Origin:
1880–85; slick 1 + -er 1


slickered, adjective

slick⋅er

2[slik-er]
–noun
a tool, usually of stone or glass, for scraping, smoothing, and working tanning agents into a skin or hide.

Origin:
1850–55; slick 2 + -er 1

slick

1[slik] adjective, -er, -est, noun, adverb
–adjective
1. smooth and glossy; sleek.
2. smooth in manners, speech, etc.; suave.
3. sly; shrewdly adroit: He's a slick customer, all right.
4. ingenious; cleverly devised: a slick plan to get out of work.
5. slippery, esp. from being covered with or as if with ice, water, or oil.
6. deftly executed and having surface appeal or sophistication, but shallow or glib in content; polished but superficial; glib: a writer who has mastered every formula of slick fiction.
7. Slang. wonderful; remarkable; first-rate.
–noun
8. a smooth or slippery place or spot or the substance causing it: oil slick.
9. Informal.
a. a magazine printed on paper having a more or less glossy finish.
b. such a magazine regarded as possessing qualities, as expensiveness, chic, and sophistication, that hold appeal for a particular readership, as one whose members enjoy or are seeking affluence.
c. such a magazine regarded as having a sophisticated, deftly executed, but shallow or glib literary content. Compare pulp (def. 6).
10. any of various paddlelike tools for smoothing a surface.
11. Automotive. a wide tire without a tread, used in racing.
12. Military Slang. a helicopter.
–adverb
13. smoothly; cleverly.

Origin:
1300–50; ME slike (adj.); c. dial. D sleek even, smooth; akin to slick 2


slickly, adverb
slickness, noun


3. wily, tricky, foxy, sharp.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To slicker
slick   (slĭk)   
adj.   slick·er, slick·est
  1. Smooth, glossy, and slippery: sidewalks slick with ice. See Synonyms at sleek.

  2. Deftly executed; adroit: "as slick as a sonnet, but as dull as ditch water" (Tallulah Bankhead).

  3. Shrewd; wily.

  4. Superficially attractive or plausible but lacking depth or soundness: a slick writing style. See Synonyms at glib.

n.  
  1. A smooth or slippery surface or area.

    1. A floating film of oil.

    2. A trail of floating material: a garbage slick.

  2. An implement used to make a surface slick, especially a chisel used for smoothing and polishing.

  3. Informal A magazine, usually of large popular readership, printed on high-quality glossy paper.

  4. A racing automobile tire with a smooth tread.

  5. Slang An unarmed military aircraft, especially a helicopter.

tr.v.   slicked, slick·ing, slicks
  1. To make smooth, glossy, or oily.

  2. Informal To make neat, trim, or tidy: slicked themselves up for the camera.


[Middle English slike, from Old English *slice; see lei- in Indo-European roots. V., Middle English sliken, from Late Old English -slīcian, -slȳcian (in nīgslȳcod, freshly smoothed).]
slick'ly adv., slick'ness n.
slick·er   (slĭk'ər)   
n.  
    1. A long water-repellant coat usually made of oilskin.

    2. A raincoat made of a glossy or shiny material, such as plastic or rubber.

  1. A tool for dressing hides.

  2. Informal A cheat; a swindler.

  3. Informal A person with stylish clothing and manners.

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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Slang Dictionary
slick

  1. mod.
    clever; glib. : His talk is slick, but his action is zotz.
  2. mod.
    excellent. : That is a slick idea.
  3. n.
    a high-quality magazine printed on slick [coated] paper. : The slicks are all carrying ads for products and services that couldn't even be mentioned a few years ago.
  4. n.
    a racing tire. (Auto racing.) : That set of wheels has slicks. I wonder why.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

slick  (n.)
1626, a kind of cosmetic, from slick (v.). Meaning "smooth place on the surface of water caused by oil, etc." is attested from 1849. Meaning "a swindler, clever person" is attested from 1959.

slicker 
1884, "waterproof raincoat," from slick (v.); sense of "clever and crafty person" is from 1900.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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