the midst of fields; now in the centre of a densely populated neighbourhood.
Slopper, subs. (The Leys School).—A
slop basin: cf. Footer,
Brekker, &c.
Sloppy, adj. (colloquial).—Loose;
slovenly.
1890. Academy, 29 Mar., 218. [To] teach a great number of sciences and languages in an elementary and sloppy way.
Slosh, subs. (common).—A drink.
1888. Cornhill Mag., Oct. Bar-meat and corn-cake washed down with a generous slosh of whiskey.
Verb. (American).—To go here and there; to knock about (q.v.).
1854. Cairo (Ill.) Times, Nov. To walk backward and forward through the crowd, with a big stick in his hand, and knock down every loose man in the crowd. That's what I call sloshing about.
1876. Clemens, Tom Sawyer, 67. How could [witches'] charms work till midnight?—and then it's Sunday. Devils don't slosh around much of a Sunday.
1888. Detroit Free Press, 8 Dec. When I was a young man I had to slosh around dark, wet nights in rubbers that didn't fit.
Slosher, subs. (Cheltenham College).—A
boarding-house assistant:
they are charged with
superintending dormitories, the
evening work, &c.
Slouch, subs. (old and still colloquial).—1.
A clumsy lout, an
idler; hence (2) anything indifferent:
usually in phrase 'no
slouch'; and (3) an awkward
lumpish gait. As verb. = to walk
lumpishly or sullenly; slouching
(or slouchy) = awkward,
ungainly, heavy (Grose).
[?]. MS. Gloucester . . . Slowch, a lazy lubber, who has nothing tight about him, with his stockings about his heels, his clothes unbutton'd, and his hat flapping about his ears.
1570. Levins, Manip. Vocab. [E. E. T. S.], 217. A slouke, iners, ertis, ignarus.
1578. Whetstone, Promos and Cassandra, 47. Thou filthie fine slouch.
1633. Jonson, Tale of a Tub, iv. 5. I think the idle slouch Be fallen asleep in the barn.
1705. Ward, Hud. Rediv., i. vii. 20. You sooty, smutty, nasty slouch.
1714. Gay, Shepherd's Week, i. Begin thy carols then, thou vaunting slouch; Be thine the oaken staff, or mine the pouch.
d.1745. Swift, Works [Century]. Our doctor . . . hath a sort of slouch in his walk.
1785. Cowper, Task, iv. 639. He stands erect; his slouch becomes a walk.
1837. Barham, Ingolds. Leg., ii. 374. In a few minutes his . . . figure was seen slouching up the ascent.
1866. Eliot, Felix Holt, Intro. The shepherd with a slow and slouching walk . . . moved aside, as if unwillingly.
1869. Clemens, The Innocents at Home, ii. He was always nifty himself, and so you bet his funeral ain't going to be no slouch.
1870. Chambers' Journal, 9 July, 447. He sees a slouching, shambling hulk of a fellow standing listlessly in a doorway.
1877. Scribner's Mag., Sep., 510. Bow-legged, slouchy, ungraceful and inactive.
1877. Century Mag., xxv. 176. Looking like a slouchy country bumpkin.
1881. O. W. Holmes, Old Volume of Life, 58. They looked slouchy, listless, torpid—an ill conditioned crew.
1885. West. Rev., cxxv. 85. He had a long, strong, uncouth body; rather rough-hewn slouching features.
18[?]. H. Kendall, Billy Vickers. He has, in fact, the slouch and dress, Which bullock-puncher stamp him.
1885. D. Tel., 14 Sep. A child taken by a slouching villain.
1887. Morley Roberts, Western Avernus. A rustler . . . means a worker, an energetic man, and no slouch can be a rustler.
1899. Whiteing, John St., xi. It is near bedtime, and those . . . to stay for the night are slouching to the lairs.
