slug

¹

[sluhg]

noun

1. any of various snaillike terrestrial gastropods having no shell or only a rudimentary one, feeding on plants and a pest of leafy garden crops.

2. a nudibranch.

3. a metal disk used as a coin or token, generally counterfeit.

4. a piece of lead or other metal for firing from a gun.

5. any heavy piece of crude metal.

6. Printing.

   1. a thick strip of type metal less than type-high.

   2. such a strip containing a type-high number or other character for temporary use.

   3. a line of type in one piece, as produced by a Linotype.

7. Informal.,  a shot of liquor taken neat; belt.

8. Slang.,  a person who is lazy or slow-moving; sluggard.

9. a slow-moving animal, vehicle, or the like.

10. Journalism.

    1. Also called catchline. a short phrase or title used to indicate the story content of newspaper or magazine copy.

    2. the line of type carrying this information.

11. Metalworking.,  a small piece of metal ready for processing.

12. a gold coin of California, privately issued in 1849 and for some time after, worth 50 dollars.

13. Physics.,  a unit of mass, equivalent to approximately 32.2 pounds (15 kilograms) and having the property that a force of one pound acting upon a mass of this unit produces an acceleration of one foot per second per second.

14. an irregular projection or knob on the surface of yarn, usually produced by lint or by defects in weaving.

verb (used with object)

slugged, slugging 

1. Printing.

   1. to make (corrections) by replacing entire lines of type, especially as set by a Linotype.

   2. to check the lines of (typeset copy) against copy of the previous typesetting stage to ensure that no line has been omitted, especially before printing or plating.

2. Journalism.,  to furnish (copy) with a slug.

3. to interpolate pieces of metal into (a joint being welded).

slug

²

[sluhg]

verb (used with object)

slugged, slugging 

1. to strike heavily; hit hard, especially with the fist.

   Synonyms: whale, tag, smite, slam, punch, pound, nail, knock, hammer, crack, strike, hit

2. to hit or drive (a baseball) very hard or a great distance.

verb (used without object)

slugged, slugging 

1. to hit or be capable of hitting hard.

2. to trudge, fight, or push onward, as against obstacles or through mud or snow.

   The infantry slugged up the hill and dug in.

noun

1. a hard blow or hit, especially with a fist or baseball bat.

   Synonyms: thwack, thump, whack, wallop, smash, knock, jab, hit, cuff, clip, box, blow

slug

¹

/ slʌɡ /

noun

1. an fps unit of mass; the mass that will acquire an acceleration of 1 foot per second per second when acted upon by a force of 1 pound. 1 slug is approximately equal to 32.17 pounds

2. metallurgy a metal blank from which small forgings are worked

3. a bullet or pellet larger than a pellet of buckshot

4. a metal token for use in slot machines, etc

5. printing

   1. a thick strip of type metal that is less than type-high and is used for spacing

   2. a similar strip carrying a type-high letter, used as a temporary mark by compositors

   3. a metal strip containing a line of characters as produced by a linecaster

6. a draught of a drink, esp an alcoholic one

7. a magnetic core that is screwed into or out of an inductance coil to adjust the tuning of a radio frequency amplifier

slug

²

/ slʌɡ /

verb

1. to hit very hard and solidly, as in boxing

2. (intr) to plod as if through snow

3. informal,  (tr) to charge (someone) an exorbitant price

4. informal,  to fight, compete, or struggle with fortitude

noun

1. an act of slugging; heavy blow

2. informal,  an exorbitant charge or price

slug

³

/ slʌɡ /

noun

1. any of various terrestrial gastropod molluscs of the genera Limax, Arion, etc, in which the body is elongated and the shell is absent or very much reduced Compare sea slug

2. any of various other invertebrates having a soft slimy body, esp the larvae of certain sawflies

3. informal,  a slow-moving or lazy person or animal

Other Word Forms

• sluglike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slug¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English slugge “sluggard,” from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian (dialectal) sluggje “heavy, slow person”

Origin of slug²

First recorded in 1845–50; perhaps from slug ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of slug¹

C17 (bullet), C19 (printing): perhaps from _slug ¹ , with allusion to the shape of the animal

Origin of slug²

C19: perhaps from _slug ² (bullet)

Origin of slug³

C15 (in the sense: a slow person or animal): probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Norwegian (dialect) sluggje

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. slug it out,

   1. to fight, especially with fists, until a decisive victory has been achieved.

   2. to succeed or survive by constant and intense struggle.

Example Sentences

The slugging switch-hitter helped New York to the 2009 World Series championship, leading the AL with 39 homers and 122 runs batted in.

From Los Angeles Times

But also, amid a two-month funk that dropped them to second place in the National League West, to not abandon the slugging prowess that makes them who they are.

From Los Angeles Times

Greenwood’s graphic details are vivid and disturbing, from screaming that is “a high unnatural wail that could shrivel souls like salted slugs” to air “powdered with concrete and sulfur.”

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps more important, he also slugged his first home run in 10 games in the third inning of a 5-3 matinee loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

From Los Angeles Times

His slugging percentage has started to tick back up since getting a week off for the All-Star break.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bang 
• bash 
• bat 
• belt 
• knock 
• punch 
• slam 
• slap 
• smack 
• swat 
• whack