slack

• adj. 松弛的；疏忽的；不流畅的
• vi. 松懈；减弱
• n. 煤末；峡谷
• vt. 放松；使缓慢
• adv. 马虎地；缓慢地
• n. (Slack)人名；(英)斯莱克

来自古英语 slaec,疲倦的，来自 Proto-Germanic*skakas,疲倦的，来自 PIE*sleg,疲倦的，来自 PIE*sleu,无精打采的，虚弱的，懒散的，词源同 lax,slake,slow.引申诸相关词义。

1. dust consisting of a mixture of small coal fragments and coal dust and dirt that sifts out when coal is passed over a sieve

2. 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"

3. a stretch of water without current or movement;

"suddenly they were in slack water"

4. the condition of being loose (not taut);

"he hadn't counted on the slackness of the rope"

5. a cord or rope or cable that is hanging loosely;

"he took up the slack"

slack

slack: [OE] In common with Dutch and Swedish slak, slack comes from a prehistoric Germanic *slakaz. This was derived from the same ultimate source that produced Latin laxus ‘loose’ (source of English lax, relax, release, and relish) and languēre ‘languish’ (source of English languish). The plural noun slacks was first used for ‘trousers’ in the early 19th century. (The noun slack ‘small pieces of coal’ [15] is a different word, probably borrowed from Middle Dutch slacke ‘waste produced by smelting metal’.)
=> languish, lax, relax, release, relinquish

slack (n.2)

"coal dust," mid-15c., sleck, of uncertain origin, probably related to Middle Dutch slacke, Middle Low German slecke "slag, small pieces left after coal is screened," perhaps related to slagge "splinter flying off metal when it is struck" (see slag (n.)).

slack (adj.)

Old English slæc "remiss, lax, characterized by lack of energy, sluggish, indolent, languid; slow, gentle, easy," from Proto-Germanic *slakas (cognates: Old Saxon slak, Old Norse slakr, Old High German slah "slack," Middle Dutch lac "fault, lack"), from PIE root *(s)leg- "to be slack" (see lax).

Sense of "not tight" (in reference to things) is first recorded c. 1300. As an adverb from late 14c. Slack-key (1975) translates Hawaiian ki ho'alu. Slack water (n.) "time when tide is not flowing" is from 1769. Slack-handed "remiss" is from 1670s. Slack-baked "baked imperfectly, half-baked" is from 1823; figuratively from 1840.

slack (n.1)

early 14c., "cessation" (of pain, grief, etc.), from slack (adj.). Meaning "a cessation of flow in a current or tide" is from 1756; that of "still stretch of a river" is from 1825. Meaning "loose part or end" (of a rope, sail, etc.) is from 1794; hence figurative senses in take up the slack (1930 figuratively) and slang cut (someone) some slack (1968). Meaning "quiet period, lull" is from 1851. Slacks "loose trousers" first recorded 1824, originally military.

slack (v.)

1510s, "to moderate, make slack," back-formed from slack (adj.) after the original verb veered into the specialized sense of slake. Meaning "be remiss, inactive or idle, fail to exert oneself" is attested from 1540s; current use is probably a re-coining from c. 1904 (see slacker, and compare Old English slacful "lazy," sleacmodnes "laziness"). Related: Slacked; slacking.

loose, slack

这两个形容词均含"松驰的"之意。

loose： 常用，通俗。指人的精神或东西的松驰。

slack： 强调缺乏牢固性或稳固性，不坚定。

economy is slack domestic consumer demand.

出自-2011年12月阅读原文

She was staring into space, her mouth slack.

她双唇微张，失神地望着前方。

牛津词典

The rope suddenly went slack.

绳子突然松了。

牛津词典

slack muscles

松弛的肌肉

牛津词典

a slack period

萧条期

牛津词典

He's been very slack in his work lately.

近来他工作很不认真。

牛津词典

Discipline in the classroom is very slack.

班里纪律十分松懈。

牛津词典

Her arms hung slackly by her sides.

她的胳膊在两边耷拉着。

牛津词典

There's too much slack in the tow rope.

拖缆太松。

牛津词典

There's very little slack in the budget.

预算中没有多少剩余款项。

牛津词典

Hey, cut him some slack! He's doing his best!

嗨，别对他那么吹毛求疵！他已经尽全力了！

牛津词典

The boy's jaw went slack.

男孩张大了嘴巴。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

The workload can be evened out, instead of the shop having busy times and slack periods.

商其工作量可以平均开来，不像商店那样有时很忙，有时很闲。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Many publishers have simply become far too slack.

许多出版商就是变得过于懈怠了。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

He had never let a foreman see him slacking.

他从未在哪个工头面前表现出丝毫懈怠。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

As major airlines give up less-traveled routes, smaller planes are picking up the slack.

由于大型航空公司放弃了乘客较少的路线，一些较小的飞机正在加紧补位。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Those who are slack in their work will never have a chance to be successful.

干活马虎的人永远都不会成功.

期刊摘选

He was slack in fulfilling his promises and responsibilities.

在履行诺言,担负责任方面,他是松弛的.

期刊摘选

Some are hard at work and some are slack in work.

有的勤奋工作,有的则消极怠工.

《现代汉英综合大词典》

Slack off those ropes there ; there's a storm coming!

把那里的绳索放松, 暴风雨就要来了!

《简明英汉词典》

Please slack up your speed. I can't run as fast as you!

请你跑慢点! 我跑得没你快.

《简明英汉词典》

Trade has been slack for the past six months, but it is now picking up.

在过去六个月中贸易一直不景气, 但现在状况正在好转.

《简明英汉词典》

As business was slack she packed up early.

由于生意萧条她早早打烊了.

《简明英汉词典》

Winter is the slack season at most hotels.

对大多数旅馆来说,冬天是淡季.

《简明英汉词典》