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slug

 - 10 dictionary results

slug

1[sluhg] noun, verb, slugged, slug⋅ging.
–noun
1. any of various snaillike terrestrial gastropods having no shell or only a rudimentary one, feeding on plants and a pest of leafy garden crops.
2. a nudibranch.
3. a metal disk used as a coin or token, generally counterfeit.
4. a piece of lead or other metal for firing from a gun.
5. any heavy piece of crude metal.
6. Printing.
a. a thick strip of type metal less than type-high.
b. such a strip containing a type-high number or other character for temporary use.
c. a line of type in one piece, as produced by a Linotype.
7. Informal. a shot of liquor taken neat; belt.
8. Slang. a person who is lazy or slow-moving; sluggard.
9. a slow-moving animal, vehicle, or the like.
10. Journalism.
a. Also called catchline. a short phrase or title used to indicate the story content of newspaper or magazine copy.
b. the line of type carrying this information.
11. Metalworking. a small piece of metal ready for processing.
12. a gold coin of California, privately issued in 1849 and for some time after, worth 50 dollars.
13. Physics. a unit of mass, equivalent to approximately 32.2 lb. (15 kg) and having the property that a force of one pound acting upon a mass of this unit produces an acceleration of one foot per second per second.
14. an irregular projection or knob on the surface of yarn, usually produced by lint or by defects in weaving.
–verb (used with object)
15. Printing.
a. to make (corrections) by replacing entire lines of type, esp. as set by a Linotype.
b. to check the lines of (typeset copy) against copy of the previous typesetting stage to ensure that no line has been omitted, esp. before printing or plating.
16. Journalism. to furnish (copy) with a slug.
17. to interpolate pieces of metal into (a joint being welded).

Origin:
1375–1425; late ME slugge sluggard < Scand; cf. Norw (dial.) sluggje heavy, slow person


sluglike, adjective

slug

2[sluhg] verb, slugged, slug⋅ging, noun Informal.
–verb (used with object)
1. to strike heavily; hit hard, esp. with the fist.
2. to hit or drive (a baseball) very hard or a great distance.
–verb (used without object)
3. to hit or be capable of hitting hard.
4. to trudge, fight, or push onward, as against obstacles or through mud or snow: The infantry slugged up the hill and dug in.
–noun
5. a hard blow or hit, esp. with a fist or baseball bat.
6. slug it out,
a. to fight, esp. with fists, until a decisive victory has been achieved.
b. to succeed or survive by constant and intense struggle.

Origin:
1820–30; orig. in phrase hit with a slug; see slug 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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slug 1   (slŭg)   
n.  
  1. A round bullet larger than buckshot.

  2. Informal

    1. A shot of liquor.

    2. An amount of liquid, especially liquor, that is swallowed in one gulp; a swig.

    3. A strip of type metal, less than type-high and thicker than a lead, used for spacing.

    4. A line of cast type in a single strip of metal.

    5. A compositor's type line of identifying marks or instructions, inserted temporarily in copy.

  3. A small metal disk for use in a vending or gambling machine, especially one used illegally.

  4. A lump of metal or glass prepared for further processing.

  5. Printing

    1. A strip of type metal, less than type-high and thicker than a lead, used for spacing.

    2. A line of cast type in a single strip of metal.

    3. A compositor's type line of identifying marks or instructions, inserted temporarily in copy.

  6. Physics The unit of mass that is accelerated at the rate of one foot per second per second when acted on by a force of one pound weight.

tr.v.   slugged, slug·ging, slugs
  1. Printing To add slugs to.

  2. Informal To drink rapidly or in large gulps: slugged down a can of pop.


[Perhaps from slug2 (from its shape).]
slug 2   (slŭg)   
n.  
  1. Any of various small, snaillike, chiefly terrestrial gastropod mollusks of the genus Limax and related genera, having a slow-moving elongated body with no shell or only a flat rudimentary shell on or under the skin.

  2. The smooth soft larva of certain insects, such as the sawfly.

  3. A slimy mass of aggregated amoeboid cells from which the sporophore of a cellular slime mold develops.

  4. Informal A sluggard.


[Middle English slugge, sluggard, probably of Scandinavian origin.]
slug 3   (slŭg)   
tr.v.   slugged, slug·ging, slugs
To strike heavily, especially with the fist or a bat.
n.  A hard heavy blow, as with the fist or a baseball bat.

[Possibly from slug1.]
slug 4   (slŭg)   
intr.v.   slugged, slug·ging, slugs
To wait for or obtain a ride to work by standing at a roadside hoping to be picked up by a driver who needs another passenger to use the HOV lanes of a highway.
n.  A commuter who slugs.

[Probably from slug2.]
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
slug

  1. n.
    a drink of liquor; a shot of whiskey. : Have a slug of this stuff. It will—I'm sorry to say, ma'am—put hair on your chest. , A couple more slugs and he was ready to face the huge bull-necked ruffian.
  2. n.
    a bullet. : Marlowe sent a couple of slugs into Rocko's chest. Rocko crumpled soundlessly.
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

slug  (1)
"shell-less land snail," 1704, originally "lazy person" (1408); related to sluggard.

slug  (2)
"lead bit," 1622, perhaps a special use of slug (1) with reference to its shape. Meaning "token or counterfeit coin" first recorded 1881; meaning "strong drink" first recorded 1756, perhaps from slang fire a slug "take a drink," though it also may be related to Ir. slog "swallow."

slug  (3)
"a hard blow," 1830, dialectal, perhaps related to slaughter, slay, etc. The verb is recorded from 1862. Slugger first recorded 1877; slugfest is from 1916.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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