Definition

1. Noun:
   • A dealer in cheap ready-made clothing: A "slop-seller" is a person who sells inexpensive, mass-produced garments. Historically, the term referred to a merchant or retailer specializing in low-cost, often poorly made, ready-to-wear clothing, typically for sailors or the working class.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • In the 19th century, a slop-seller near the docks provided sailors with cheap outfits before their voyages.
  • The novel's character was a poor slop-seller, struggling to make a living in the crowded city.

Advanced Usage

• The term is largely historical and carries a somewhat derogatory connotation, implying low quality. It is rarely used in modern commercial contexts but appears in historical texts and literature.
  • The economic study examined the role of the slop-seller in supplying the urban poor during the Industrial Revolution.

Variants and Related Words

• Slop (n): Historically, cheap, ready-made clothing or a loose outer garment, especially for sailors.
  • The sailor bought new slops from the ship's chandler.
• Slop-shop (n): A shop where such clothing is sold.
  • He ran a small slop-shop in the harbor district.

Synonyms

• Clothier (though this is more general and neutral).
• Rag merchant (colloquial and derogatory).
• Outfitter (more general, without the connotation of cheapness).

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning is specifically tied to the trade of low-cost, ready-made apparel. It does not refer to a seller of food waste or liquid spills (which is a different meaning of "slop").

Noun

1. a dealer in cheap ready-made clothing