slack (redirected from picking up the slack)

slack ¹  (slk)

adj. slack·er, slack·est

1. Moving slowly; sluggish: a slack pace.

2. Lacking in activity; not busy: a slack season for the travel business.

3. Not tense or taut; loose: a slack rope; slack muscles. See Synonyms at loose.

4. Lacking firmness; flaccid: a slack grip.

5. Lacking in diligence or due care or concern; negligent: a slack worker. See Synonyms at negligent.

6. Flowing or blowing with little speed: a slack current; slack winds.

7. Linguistics Pronounced with the muscles of the tongue and jaw relatively relaxed; lax.

v. slacked, slack·ing, slacks

v.tr.

1. To make slower or looser; slacken.

2. To be careless or remiss in doing: slack one's duty.

3. To slake (lime).

v.intr.

1. To be or become slack.

2. To evade work; shirk.

n.

1. A loose part, as of a rope or sail.

2. A lack of tension; looseness.

3. A period of little activity; a lull.

4.

a. A cessation of movement in a current of air or water.

b. An area of still water.

5. Unused capacity: still some slack in the economy.

6. slacks Casual trousers that are not part of a suit.

adv.

In a slack manner: a banner hanging slack.

Phrasal Verb:

slack off

To decrease in activity or intensity.

Idiom:

cut/give (someone) some slack

Slang To make an allowance for (someone), as in allowing more time to finish something.

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[Middle English slak, from Old English slæc; see slg- in Indo-European roots.]

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slackly adv.

slackness n.

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slack ²  (slk)

n.

A mixture of coal fragments, coal dust, and dirt that remains after screening coal.

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[Middle English sleck.]

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slack ³  (slk)

n. Chiefly British

1. A small dell or hollow.

2. A bog; a morass.

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[Middle English slak, from Old Norse slakki.]

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slack¹

adj

1. not tight, tense, or taut

2. negligent or careless

3. (esp of water, etc.) moving slowly

4. (of trade, etc.) not busy

5. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) Phonetics another term for lax [4]

adv

in a slack manner

n

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

2. a period of decreased activity

3. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography)

a.  a patch of water without current

b.  a slackening of a current

4. (Literature / Poetry) Prosody (in sprung rhythm) the unstressed syllable or syllables

vb

1. to neglect (one's duty, etc.)

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

3. (Chemistry) Chem a less common word for slake [3] See also slacks

[Old English slæc, sleac; related to Old High German slah, Old Norse slākr bad, Latin laxus lax]

slackly  adv

slackness  n

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slack²

n

(Earth Sciences / Minerals) small pieces of coal with a high ash content

[probably from Middle Low German slecke; related to Dutch slak, German Schlacke dross]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	slack - dust consisting of a mixture of small coal fragments and coal dust and dirt that sifts out when coal is passed over a sieve debris, detritus, junk, rubble, dust - the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up
	2.	slack - 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" drop-off, falling off, falloff, slump decline in quality, worsening, declension, deterioration - process of changing to an inferior state
	3.	slack - a stretch of water without current or movement; "suddenly they were in a slack and the water was motionless" slack water stretch - a large and unbroken expanse or distance; "a stretch of highway"; "a stretch of clear water"
	4.	slack - a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot mire, morass, quag, quagmire bog, peat bog - wet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation; has poorer drainage than a swamp; soil is unfit for cultivation but can be cut and dried and used for fuel
	5.	slack - the quality of being loose (not taut); "he hadn't counted on the slackness of the rope" slackness looseness, play - movement or space for movement; "there was too much play in the steering wheel"
	6.	slack - a cord or rope or cable that is hanging loosely; "he took up the slack" cord - a line made of twisted fibers or threads; "the bundle was tied with a cord"
Verb	1.	slack - avoid responsibilities and work, be idle fiddle, shirk, shrink from, goldbrick - avoid (one's assigned duties); "The derelict soldier shirked his duties"
	2.	slack - be inattentive to, or neglect; "He slacks his attention" neglect - fail to attend to; "he neglects his children"
	3.	slack - release tension on; "slack the rope" loosen, loose - make loose or looser; "loosen the tension on a rope"
	4.	slack - make less active or fast; "He slackened his pace as he got tired"; "Don't relax your efforts now" slack up, slacken, relax minify, decrease, lessen - make smaller; "He decreased his staff"
	5.	slack - become slow or slower; "Production slowed" slacken, slow up, slow, slow down weaken - become weaker; "The prisoner's resistance weakened after seven days"
	6.	slack - make less active or intense abate, slake minify, decrease, lessen - make smaller; "He decreased his staff"
	7.	slack - become less in amount or intensity; "The storm abated"; "The rain let up after a few hours" die away, let up, slack off, abate decrease, diminish, lessen, fall - decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper"
	8.	slack - cause to heat and crumble by treatment with water; "slack lime" slake hydrate - cause to be hydrated; add water or moisture to; "hydrate your skin" air-slake - alter by exposure to air with conversion at least in part to a carbonate; "air-slake lime"
Adj.	1.	slack - not tense or taut; "the old man's skin hung loose and grey"; "slack and wrinkled skin"; "slack sails"; "a slack rope" loose lax - lacking in strength or firmness or resilience; "a lax rope"; "a limp handshake"
	2.	slack - flowing with little speed as e.g. at the turning of the tide; "slack water" standing - (of fluids) not moving or flowing; "mosquitoes breed in standing water"
	3.	slack - lacking in rigor or strictness; "such lax and slipshod ways are no longer acceptable"; "lax in attending classes"; "slack in maintaining discipline" lax negligent - characterized by neglect and undue lack of concern; "negligent parents"; "negligent of detail"; "negligent in his correspondence"

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slack

adjective

1. limp, relaxed, loose, lax, flaccid, not tight, not taut The electronic pads work slack muscles to astounding effect.

2. loose, hanging, flapping, baggy The wind had gone, leaving the sails slack.
loose stretched, tight, strained, stiff, rigid, taut, inflexible

3. slow, quiet, inactive, dull, sluggish, slow-moving busy times and slack periods
slow active, busy, hectic, bustling, fast-moving

4. negligent, lazy, lax, idle, easy-going, inactive, tardy, slapdash, neglectful, slipshod, inattentive, remiss, asleep on the job (informal) Many publishers have simply become far too slack.
negligent strict, exacting, meticulous, hard, concerned, hard-working, stern, diligent

verb

shirk, idle, relax, flag, neglect, dodge, skive (Brit. slang), bob off (Brit. slang), bludge (Austral. & N.Z. informal) He had never let a foreman see him slacking.

noun

1. surplus, excess, overflow, leftover, glut, surfeit, overabundance, superabundance, superfluity Buying-to-let could stimulate the housing market by reducing the slack.

2. room, excess, leeway, give (informal), play, looseness He cranked in the slack, and the ship was moored.

verb

idle, waste time, take it easy, be lazy, doss (Brit. slang), lounge about, bunk off (informal) If someone slacks, he comes down hard on them.

Translations

slack [slæk]

A. ADJ (slacker (compar) (slackest (superl)))

1. (= not tight or firm) → flojo

2. (= lax) → descuidado, negligente; (= lazy) → perezoso, vago, flojo
to be slack about one's work → desatender su trabajo, ser negligente en su trabajo
to be slack about or in doing sth → dejar de hacer algo por desidia

3. (Comm) [market] → flojo, encalmado; [period] → de inactividad; [season] → muerto
business is slack → hay poco movimiento or poca actividad en el negocio
demand was slack → hubo poca demanda

B. N

1. (= part of rope etc) → comba f
to take up the slack → tensar una cuerda
to take up the slack in the economy → utilizar toda la capacidad productiva de la economía

2. (= coal) → cisco m

3. (Comm) (= period) → período m de inactividad; (= season) → estación f muerta
see also slacks

C. VI → gandulear, holgazanear
he's been slacking → ha sido muy gandul

D. VT = slacken A

slack off VI + ADV & VT + ADV = slacken off

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slack [ˈslæk]

adj

(loose) [rope, cable] → lâche; [muscles] → relâché(e)
to go slack [rope] → se détendre
The boy's jaw went slack → Le garçon en resta bouche bée.

(= slow) [trading] → stagnant(e); [market] → peu actif/ive; [demand] → faible; [period, season] → creux/euse; [business]
Business is slack → Les affaires sont calmes.

(= careless) → qui fait preuve de laisser-aller
to get slack → se relâcher
Security has got a bit slack → La sécurité s'est un peu relâchée.

n

(in rope) → mou m
There isn't enough slack in the rope → Il n'y a pas assez de mou dans la corde.
The slack in the rope was taken up
BUT La corde se tendit.
to take up the slack (fig) → s'emparer du créneau

vi [worker] → se relâcher (dans son travail)

slack off

vi [worker] → se relâcher (dans son travail)

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slack

adj (+er)

(= not tight) → locker

(= lazy) → bequem, träge; student → verbummelt; (= negligent) → nachlässig, schlampig (inf); they are very slack in renewing contracts → das Erneuern der Verträge wird sehr nachlässig gehandhabt; to be slack in one’s work → in Bezug auf seine Arbeit nachlässig sein

(= not busy) (Comm) market → flau; period, season → ruhig; business is slack → das Geschäft geht schlecht

(= slow) water → träge; wind → flau

n

(of rope etc) → durchhängendes Teil (des Seils/Segels etc), Lose(s) nt (spec); to take up the slack (on a rope/sail) → ein Seil/Segel straffen or spannen; there is too much slack → das Seil/Segel hängt zu sehr durch; to cut somebody some slack (fig inf) → mit jdm nachsichtig sein

(= coal) → Grus m

vi → bummeln

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slack [slæk]

1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl)))

a. (not tight, rope, knot) → lento/a, allentato/a; (grip) → debole

b. (lax, work) → trascurato/a; (student, worker) → negligente; (lazy) → pigro/a, fiacco/a
to be slack about one's work → essere negligente nel proprio lavoro
to grow slack → lasciarsi andare

c. (Comm) (market) → stagnante; (demand) → scarso/a; (period) → morto/a
business is slack → si fanno pochi affari
the slack season → la bassa stagione

2. n

a. (part of rope) to take up the slack in a rope → tendere una corda

b. (coal dust) → polvere f di carbone
see also slacks

3. vi (fam) → fare il/la lavativo/a

4. vt (Naut) (sail) → lascare

slack off vi + adv (fam) (activity) → ridursi, calare

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slack

adj slack [slӕk]

1 loose; not firmly stretched Leave the rope slack. slap رَخْو отпуснат volný slap locker χαλαρός, μπόσικος flojo lõtv سست löysä lâche רָפוּי ढीला labav, nenapet laza (kötél) kendur slakur lento ゆるい 느슨한 neįtemptas, laisvas vaļīgs; nenostiepts longgar los slakk, slapp luźny frouxo neîncordat слабый, плохо натянутый voľný ohlapen labav slak, slack หย่อน gevşek 鬆弛的 не натягнутий; ненапружений ڈھیلا ڈھالا chùng , lỏng 松驰的

2 not firmly in position He tightened a few slack screws. losserig غَيْر مُحْكَم الشَّد хлабав uvolněný løs lose χαλαρός, λάσκος flojo lõtv شل löysä desserré רָפוּי ढीला slab, popušten meglazult kendur slakur, ekki hertur allentato ゆるんだ 헐거운 nepriveržtas vaļīgs; nenostiprināts longgar los løs, slakk luźny folgado nefixat плохо затянутый, свободный uvoľnený zrahljan labav lös ไม่แน่น gevşek 未旋緊的 слабкий غیر محکم lỏng, không chắc chắn 不紧的

3 not strict; careless He is very slack about getting things done. sorgeloos مُتَراخٍ небрежен nedbalý sløv nachlässig αμελής, απρόσεκτος descuidado, despreocupado hooletu بي توجه välinpitämätön négligent רַשלָנִי लापरवाह nemaran, lijen gondatlan ceroboh kærulaus negligente のろい 해이한 aplaidus, neatidus, nerūpestingas nolaidīgs; bezatbildīgs cuai laks slapp, treg, slurvet niedbały desleixado neglijent небрежный, нерадивый nedbanlivý zanikrn nemaran slapp, slö ไม่ใส่ใจ kesat 馬虎的 розхлябаний; недбалий لا پروا bê trễ, chểnh mảng 马虎的

4 in industry etc, not busy; inactive Business has been rather slack lately. stadig, traag راكِد застоял váznoucí stille; sløv flau αδρανής flojo loid بهره ور كردن hiljainen stagnant אִיטִי मंदा व्यापार trom, slab (poslovanje) pangó lesu dauður, í lægð debole 沈滞した 침체한 vangus, negyvas kluss; bez rosības lesu slap treg, langsom, stille w zastoju lento inactiv вялый, неактивный viaznuci medel slab trög ซบเซา durgunluk, kesat 蕭條的 повільний; млявий سست، مندا uể oải, chậm chạp 萧条的

v slacken

(sometimes withofforup)

1 to make or become looser She felt his grip on her arm slacken. slap word يُرْخي отпускам povolit slappes lockern χαλαρώνω κτ., ξεσφίγγω aflojar lõdvendama, lõdvenema شل شدن löysentää, höllentyä (se) relâcher לִרפוֹת ढीला पड़ना olabaviti, omlohaviti meglazít; meglazul menjadi kendur slaka á; slakna diminuire ゆるめる 느슨해지다 at(si)leisti, silpnėti, atpalaiduoti kļūt vaļīgākam; atslābt; atslābināt menjadi longgar verslappen slakke, fire på rozluźniać (się) afrouxar a (se) destinde уменьшать; ослаблять povoliť popustiti olabaviti släppa, lossa, försvaga[] ทำให้หย่อน gevşe(t)mek 鬆開，變鬆 ослабляти; слабшати ڈھیلا ہونا یا کرنا nới lỏng 变松，松动

2 to make or become less busy, less active or less fast The doctor told him to slacken up if he wanted to avoid a heart-attack. minder besig raak يَرْكُد забавям темпо polevit slappe af abspannen χαλαρώνω aflojar, flaquear, decaer lõdvestuma, pinget vähendama سست شدن hellittää ralentir (son rythme) לְהַאֵט कम कर देना, ढीला कर देना usporiti lazít santai slaka á, draga úr rallentare (il ritmo) のんきにする (노력 등을) 감소시키다 nepersitempti, liautis plėšiusis, sulėtinti samazināt slodzi; atlaist grožus vaļīgāk rehat kalmer aan doen saktne, minske zwalniać tempo moderar-se a încetini (ritmul) замедлять(ся); уменьшать темп poľaviť upočasniti (se) usporiti minska, sakta [] ทำให้ช้า yavaşla(t)mak 使或變得較不忙，(使)放輕鬆，減慢，變慢 сповільнювати استراحت یا آرام کرنا làm chậm lại, làm giảm bớt 少紧张，少活动，减缓

adv slackly

slap بِتَراخٍ отпуснато volně slapt; løst; sløvt schlaff χαλαρά flojamente lõdvalt شلي löysästi mollement בְּרַשלָנוּת ढीलेपन से, लापरवाही से labavo, tromo lazán secara kendur letilega debolmente, mollemente ゆるく 느슨하게 silpnai, vangiai vaļīgi; neaktīvi dengan longgar los slakt, slapt, tregt luźno frouxamente alene расхлябанно voľne mlahavo labavo slakhet อย่างหย่อน gevşekçe 松馳地，緩慢地 мляво; повільно لاپروائی سے chùng, chậm lại 松驰地，缓慢地

n slackness

slapheid تَراخٍ отпуснатост uvolněnost slaphed; efterladenhed die Schlaffheit χαλαρότητα, αδράνεια flojedad, inactividad lõtvus سستي löysyys manque de tension רַשלָנוּת ढीलापन, लापरवाही labavost, malaksalost pangás, ernyedtség, lazaság kekenduran slaki mollezza ゆるさ 느슨함, 굼뜸 atpalaidavimas, suglebimas, vangumas vaļīgums; bezatbildība; gausums kelonggaran losheid slakkhet, slapphet, treghet rozluźnienie, niedbałość frouxidão lipsă de energie расхлябанность uvoľnenosť mlahavost labavost slakhet ความหย่อน gevşeklik 松馳，緩漫，無力 млявість; ненапруженість سستی، لاپروائی sư chùng, sự chậm lại 松驰，缓漫，无力

n pl slacks

trousers, usually loose-fitting, worn informally by men or women a pair of slacks. informele langbroek ألْبِسَه فَضْفاضَه مُتَراخِيَه панталони kalhoty slacks die Freizeithose φαρδύ σπορ παντελόνι pantalón, pantalones kottpüksid شلوار راحتي housut pantalon מִכנָסַיִים ढीली पतलून hlače koje nisu dio odijela, “sportske” hlače (hosszú)nadrág celana buxur (pantaloni a zampa di elefante) スラックス 느슨한 바지, 평상복 바지 laisvos kelnės (platas) bikses seluar slack lange broek bukser, beinklær spodnie calças pantaloni слаксы nohavice dolge hlače pantalone långbyxor, slacks กางเกงทรงหลวม bol tip pantolon 寬鬆休閒褲 слакси, широкі штани ڈھیلا ڈھالا پاجامہ یا پتلون đoạn chùng, chỗ chùng 便裤

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slack → متوان uvolněný slap locker μπόσικος flojo löysä détendu mlohav lento 緩い 느슨한 slap slakk ospały frouxo ненатянутый slapp หย่อน gevşek lỏng 松弛的