Slip, or let SLIP; “to SLIP into a man,” to give him a sound beating, “to let SLIP at a cove,” to rush violently upon him, and assault with vigour.
Slipping, a trick of card-sharpers, in the performance of which, by dexterous manipulation, they place the cut card on the top, instead of at the bottom of the pack. It is the faire sauter la coupe of the French. In pugilistic parlance, “to SLIP a man,” is to “duck and get away” with great dexterity.
Slips, the sides of the gallery in a theatre are generally so called.
Slog, to beat or baste, to fight. German, SCHLACHTEN; or perhaps from some connexion with the Gaelic SLOGAN. The pretended Greek derivation from σλογω is humbug, there being no such word in the language.
Slogdollager, an Americanism, meaning the same as our [STOCKDOLLAGER], which see.
Sloggers, i.e., SLOW-GOERS, the second division of race-boats at Cambridge. At Oxford they are called TORPIDS.—University. A hard hitter at cricket is termed a SLOGGER; so is a pugilist.
Slogging, a good beating.
Slop, a policeman. At first back slang, but now modified for general use.
Slop, cheap, or ready-made, as applied to clothing, is generally supposed to be a modern appropriation; but it was used in this sense in 1691, by Maydman, in his Naval Speculations; and by Chaucer two centuries before that. Slops properly signify sailors’ working clothes, which are of a very cheap and inexpensive character.
Slope, to decamp, to run, or rather slip away. Some persons think it came originally from [LOPE], to make off; and that the s probably became affixed as a portion of the preceding word, as in the case of “Let’s lope,” let us run. It is purely an Americanism, and is possibly but an emendation of our own word elope. Lope, leap, and elope are kindred. A humorous correspondent says that Tennyson is decidedly partial to slang, and instances amongst other proofs a passage from the laureate’s famous Locksley Hall:—