slacks

[slaks] /slæks/

noun, (used with a plural verb)

men's or women's trousers for informal wear.

Origin

1815-25; slack¹ + -s³

slack¹

[slak] /slæk/

adjective

not tight, taut, firm, or tense; loose:

a slack rope.

negligent; careless; remiss:

slack proofreading.

slow, sluggish, or indolent:

He is slack in answering letters.

not active or busy; dull; not brisk:

the slack season in an industry.

moving very slowly, as the tide, wind, or water.

weak; lax.

Nautical, easy (def 15a).

adverb

in a slack manner.

noun

a slack condition or part.

10.

the part of a rope, sail, or the like, that hangs loose, without strain upon it.

11.

a decrease in activity, as in business or work:

a sudden slack in output.

12.

a period of decreased activity.

13.

Geography. a cessation in a strong flow, as of a current at its turn.

14.

a depression between hills, in a hillside, or in the land surface.

15.

Prosody. (in sprung rhythm) the unaccented syllable or syllables.

16.

British Dialect. a morass; marshy ground; a hollow or dell with soft, wet ground at the bottom.

verb (used with object)

17.

to be remiss in respect to (some matter, duty, right, etc.); shirk; leave undone:

He slacked the most important part.

18.

to make or allow to become less active, vigorous, intense, etc.; relax (efforts, labor, speed, etc.); lessen; moderate (often followed by up).

19.

to make loose, or less tense or taut, as a rope; loosen (often followed by off or out).

20.

to slake (lime).

verb (used without object)

21.

to be remiss; shirk one's duty or part.

22.

to become less active, vigorous, rapid, etc. (often followed by up):

Business is slacking up.

23.

to become less tense or taut, as a rope; to ease off.

24.

to become slaked, as lime.

Idioms

25.

take up the slack,

to pull in or make taut a loose section of a rope, line, wire, etc.:
Take up the slack before releasing the kite.
to provide or compensate for something that is missing or incomplete:
New sources of oil will take up the slack resulting from the embargo.

Origin

before 900; Middle English slac (adj.), Old English sleac, slæc; cognate with Old Norse slakr, Old High German slach, Latin laxus lax

Related forms

slackingly, adverb

slackly, adverb

slackness, noun

unslacked, adjective

unslacking, adjective

Synonyms

1. relaxed. 2. lazy, weak. 3. dilatory, tardy, late. 4. idle, quiet. 11. slowing, relaxation. 17. neglect. 18. reduce, slacken. 21. malinger.

slack²

[slak] /slæk/

noun

the fine screenings of coal.

Origin

1400-50; late Middle English sleck < Middle Dutch slacke, slecke

Examples from the web for slacks

Seated on a stool with hands folded primly on its lap, it wore a bright pink blazer and gray slacks.
Dressed in batik shirts and slacks, they glided across the floor to shake my hand.
He wore an oversize polo shirt, baggy slacks, and a baseball cap slightly askew.
Today he wore his uniform slacks and a pair of lightweight boots.
He showered and put on a blue cotton shirt and khaki slacks.
Hence a pair of no-nonsense sneakers that work as well with track pants as evening slacks.
Belt drive means not worrying about greasy chain marks on your slacks.
Biondi arrives in a dark green polo shirt, tan slacks, and navy blue sport coat.
These days he wears polo shirts and slacks as regularly as he used to wear suits and ties.
My suggestion would be comfortable slacks and a sweater or knit shirt and your interview jacket.

British Dictionary definitions for slacks

slacks

/slæks/

plural noun

informal trousers worn by both sexes

slack¹

/slæk/

adjective

not tight, tense, or taut

negligent or careless

(esp of water, etc) moving slowly

(of trade, etc) not busy

(phonetics) another term for lax (sense 4)

adverb

in a slack manner

noun

a part of a rope, etc, that is slack: take in the slack

a period of decreased activity

a patch of water without current
a slackening of a current

10.

(prosody) (in sprung rhythm) the unstressed syllable or syllables

verb

11.

to neglect (one's duty, etc)

12.

(often foll by off) to loosen; to make slack

13.

(chem) a less common word for slake (sense 3)

slack²

/slæk/

noun

small pieces of coal with a high ash content

Word Origin

C15: probably from Middle Low German slecke; related to Dutch slak, German Schlacke dross

Word Origin and History for slacks

slack

adj.

Old English slæc "remiss, lax, characterized by lack of energy, sluggish, indolent, languid; slow, gentle, easy," from Proto-Germanic *slakas (cf. 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.

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.

"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.)).

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 cf. Old English slacful "lazy," sleacmodnes "laziness"). Related: Slacked; slacking.

Slang definitions & phrases for slacks

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