slack
/slæk/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Lacking in rigor, strictness, or care: Not showing enough care, effort, or attention; lax.
- Not tight or taut: Loose, not pulled or stretched tight.
- Not busy or active: Characterized by a lack of work or activity; slow.
Noun:
- The part of a rope, line, or cable that hangs loose: The loose or unused portion of a rope.
- A period of low activity or business: A time when there is little work or trade.
- A noticeable decline or deterioration: A drop in quality, performance, or intensity.
Verb:
- To be lazy or neglectful: To avoid work or responsibilities; to be idle.
- To reduce in intensity or speed: To become or make something slower or less active.
- To loosen or make less taut: To release tension on something.
Examples
Adjective:
- The teacher was slack about homework deadlines.
- Pull the rope tight until there is no slack left in it.
- Business is usually slack during the winter months.
Noun:
- The sailor took up the slack in the line.
- There is a slack in demand after the holidays.
- The team's performance suffered a slack in the second half.
Verb:
- He tends to slack off when the boss isn't watching.
- The wind slacked in the evening.
- You should slack the rope before tying the knot.
Advanced Usage
"To cut someone some slack": To treat someone less severely or critically; to be more lenient.
- His first day was hard, so let's cut him some slack.
"To pick/take up the slack": To do work that someone else has failed to do; to compensate for a lack.
- When her colleague left, she had to pick up the slack.
Variants and Related Words
- Slacken (verb): To become or make slower, looser, or less active.
- The rain began to slacken.
- Slackness (noun): The quality or state of being slack.
- The slackness of the regulations caused problems.
- Slacker (noun): A person who avoids work or effort.
- He was labeled a slacker for missing meetings.
Synonyms
- Adjective: Lax, loose, slow, sluggish, negligent.
- Noun: Lull, slowdown, slump, looseness.
- Verb: Loosen, relax, shirk, idle, abate.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Slack off: To work less hard or be less active; to be lazy.
- Students sometimes slack off near the end of term.
- Slack up: To reduce speed or intensity.
- The driver slacked up as he approached the curve.
Related Idioms
- Slack water: The period at the turn of the tide when there is little or no current.
- The boat drifted during slack water.
Adjective
- lacking in rigor or strictness
- such lax and slipshod ways are no longer acceptable
- lax in attending classes
- slack in maintaining discipline
- flowing with little speed as e.g. at the turning of the tide
- slack water
- not tense or taut
- the old man's skin hung loose and grey
- slack and wrinkled skin
- slack sails
- a slack rope
Noun
- a cord or rope or cable that is hanging loosely
- he took up the slack
- the quality of being loose (not taut)
- he hadn't counted on the slackness of the rope
- a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
- a stretch of water without current or movement
- suddenly they were in a slack and the water was motionless
- a noticeable deterioration in performance or quality
- the team went into a slump
- a gradual slack in output
- a drop-off in attendance
- a falloff in quality
- dust consisting of a mixture of small coal fragments and coal dust and dirt that sifts out when coal is passed over a sieve
Verb
- cause to heat and crumble by treatment with water
- slack lime
- become less in amount or intensity
- The storm abated
- The rain let up after a few hours
- make less active or intense
- become slow or slower
- Production slowed
- make less active or fast
- He slackened his pace as he got tired
- Don't relax your efforts now
- release tension on
- slack the rope
- be inattentive to, or neglect
- He slacks his attention
- avoid responsibilities and work, be idle