<B>slicker, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> (U.S.) <B>1a. </B>a long, loose waterproof coat, made of oilskin or the like. <BR> <I>Ex. Fishermen used to wear slickers.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>any raincoat. <BR> <I>Ex. The rain dripped from my slicker as I waited in the shop for the ... chrysanthemum (Milton White).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal.) a sly, tricky person. <BR> <I>Ex. One of those city slickers sold him worthless shares.</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> (Slang.) to fool; trick. <BR> <I>Ex. to be slickered out of a month's wages.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="slickpaper">
<B>slick-paper, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> printed on heavy, glossy paper. <BR> <I>Ex. A slick-paper magazine, entirely for sportscar buffs, will make its debut this summer (Maclean's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="slickster">
<B>slickster, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a sly, tricky person; slick or smooth operator. <BR> <I>Ex. to negotiate such political shoals without giving the appearance of being a political slickster (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="slid">
<B>slid, </B>verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> the past tense and a past participle of <B>slide.</B> <BR> <I>Ex. The minutes slid rapidly by. He has slid back into his old habits.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="slidable">
<B>slidable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can slide. </DL>
<A NAME="slidden">
<B>slidden, </B>verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> a past participle of <B>slide.</B> <BR> <I>Ex. He has slidden back into his old habits.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="slide">
<B>slide, </B>verb, <B>slid,</B> <B>slid</B> or <B>slidden,</B> <B>sliding,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to move smoothly along on a surface or in a groove, as a sled moves on snow or ice. <BR> <I>Ex. The bureau drawers slide in and out.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to glide over the surface of ice or snow on the feet, or on a sled, toboggan, or the like. <BR> <I>Ex. When the snowstorm stops, let's go sliding down the hill.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to move or go easily, quietly, or secretly. <BR> <I>Ex. The thief quickly slid behind the curtains.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to slip as when losing one's foothold. <BR> <I>Ex. The car slid into the ditch.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to pass by degrees; slip. <BR> <I>Ex. The car slid by us. (Figurative.) He has slid into bad habits.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>(Figurative.) to pass quietly and secretly; go unregarded. <BR> <I>Ex. Alack, how good men, and the good turns they do us, slide out of memory (Charles Lamb).</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>(Music.) to pass or progress from tone to tone without perceptible step or break. <DD><B> 8. </B>(Baseball.) to launch a slide for a base or home plate. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to cause to move smoothly along on a surface or in a groove. <BR> <I>Ex. Slide the door back into the wall.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to put quietly or secretly. <BR> <I>Ex. He slid a pistol into his pocket.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the act of sliding. <BR> <I>Ex. The children each take a slide in turn.</I> <DD><B> 2a. </B>a smooth surface for sliding on. <BR> <I>Ex. The frozen brook makes a good slide.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a kind of sloping surface or chute down which children slide. <BR> <I>Ex. The small playground had a slide, a seesaw, and two swings.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a track, rail, groove, or smooth channel on or in which something slides. <DD><B> 4a. </B>something that slides or that works by sliding. <DD><B> b. </B><B>=sliding seat.</B> <DD><B> 5. </B>the U-shaped tube of a trumpet or trombone that is pushed in or out to change the pitch of the tones. <DD><B> 6a. </B>a mass of snow and ice or dirt and rocks sliding down; landslide; avalanche. <BR> <I>Ex. The slide cut off the valley from the rest of the world.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the sliding down of such a mass. <BR> <I>Ex. The slide was felt at the other end of the valley.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>the place where this has occurred. <DD><B> 7. </B>(Figurative.) a downward movement; downswing; decline. <BR> <I>Ex. a price slide. Steel operations normally head into a seasonal slide after October (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>a small thin sheet of glass on which objects are placed in order to look at them under the microscope. <DD><B> 9. </B>a small transparent photograph made of glass or film. Slides are put in a projector and shown on a screen. <DD><B> 10. </B>(Music.) <DD><B> a. </B>a rapid ascending or descending series of three or more notes, composed of grace notes which ornament the last or principal note. <DD><B> b. </B>a passing from tone to tone without perceptible step or break; portamento. <DD><B> 11. </B>(Baseball.) the act of throwing the body, usually feet first, along the ground in running to a base, so as to avoid being tagged. <DD><B> 12. </B>a framed opening in a wall between two rooms for passing things through. <BR> <I>Ex. The cook put the dishes through the slide, and the maid, waiting in the china closet, received them and took them into the diningroom (Harper's).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>let slide,</B> </I>to not bother about; neglect. <BR> <I>Ex. Don't let your studies slide. He let his business slide until he was bankrupt.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="slidebar">
<B>slide bar,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a sliding bar in a machine or other device, as for opening or closing an aperture. <DD><B> 2. </B>a bar that serves as a guide or track for a sliding or reciprocating part. </DL>
<A NAME="slidecalipers">
<B>slide calipers,</B> <B>=caliper rule.</B></DL>
<A NAME="slidefastener">
<B>slide fastener,</B> <B>=zipper.</B></DL>
<A NAME="slideknot">
<B>slide knot,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a slipknot tied with two half hitches. </DL>
<A NAME="slideprojector">
<B>slide projector,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an instrument for projecting onto a viewing screen the pictures on photographic slides. </DL>
<A NAME="slider">
<B>slider, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>a person who slides. <DD><B> b. </B>a sliding thing or part. <DD><B> 2. </B>a fast pitch in baseball with a sideways spin that makes the ball curve slightly. <BR> <I>Ex. You throw the slider like you throw a football (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the toothed portion of a zipper. <BR> <I>Ex. ... manufacturers of zipper hardware, including sliders, chain pulls and stops (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B><B>=red-bellied terrapin.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="sliderest">
<B>slide rest,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an appliance for holding tools in turning, enabling them to be held in different ways in relation to the material worked on. <BR> <I>Ex. Control of the cutting tool was taken from the skilled hands of the turner and put into a ... slide rest (Scientific American).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="sliderule">
<B>slide rule,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a rule with a sliding section in the center, both parts marked with logarithmic scales, used for making rapid mathematical calculations. </DL>
<A NAME="slidetrombone">
<B>slide trombone,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a trombone with a U-shaped bend near the cup mouthpiece, in which double telescoping tubes slide one upon the other to vary the length of the sounding tube and thus produce different tones. </DL>
<A NAME="slidevalve">
<B>slide valve,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an engine valve that slides (without lifting) to open or close an aperture. </DL>
<A NAME="slideway">
<B>slideway, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a guideway on which some part of a machine moves. </DL>
<A NAME="sliding">
<B>sliding, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>that slides. <BR> <I>Ex. a sliding reptile, a sliding avalanche, a sliding panel.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having a part that slides; adjustable; changing. <BR> <I>Ex. a sliding bar, a sliding joint.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="slidingdoor">
<B>sliding door,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a door, usually in two leaves, that slides in grooves or along a track. </DL>
<A NAME="slidingscale">
<B>sliding scale,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a scale of wages, prices, taxes, customs duties, or the like, that can be adjusted according to certain conditions. <BR> <I>Ex. The sliding scale tax formula for lead and zinc imports was proposed by the Administration as part of its long-range program for the mineral industry (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=slide rule.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="slidingseat">
<B>sliding seat,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a seat, as in an outrigger, which moves backwards and forwards with the action of the rower. <DD><B> 2. </B>a seat which can be slid out beyond the gunwale of a yacht. </DL>
<A NAME="slier">
<B>slier, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> a comparative of <B>sly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="sliest">
<B>sliest, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> a superlative of <B>sly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="slight">
<B>slight, </B>adjective, verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>not much; not important; small. <BR> <I>Ex. I have a slight headache. One slice of bread is a slight lunch. I hardly felt that slight scratch. Therefore I am glad to take this slight occasion--this trifling occasion ... (Dickens).</I> (SYN) inconsiderable, trivial, trifling. <DD><B> 2. </B>not big around; slender; slim. <BR> <I>Ex. She is a slight girl.</I> (SYN) thin. <DD><B> 3. </B>flimsy; frail. <BR> <I>Ex. a slight structure, slight clothing, a slight excuse.</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> to pay too little attention to; treat as of little value or importance; neglect. <BR> <I>Ex. This maid slights her work. She felt slighted because she was not asked to the party.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> an act showing neglect or lack of respect; slighting treatment shown to one who expects courtesy and friendliness. <BR> <I>Ex. Cinderella suffered many slights from her sisters. ... thwarted or stung by a fancied slight (Bret Harte).</I> noun <B>slightness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="slightbreeze">
<B>slight breeze,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Meteorology.) a breeze having a velocity of 4-7 miles per hour; light breeze. </DL>
<A NAME="slighting">
<B>slighting, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that slights; contemptuous; disdainful. <BR> <I>Ex. a slighting remark.</I> (SYN) disparaging. adv. <B>slightingly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="slightly">
<B>slightly, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>in a slight manner. <DD><B> 2. </B>to a slight degree; a little; somewhat. <BR> <I>Ex. I know him slightly.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>in a slighting manner; disdainfully. </DL>
