slitn.
/slɪt/, U.S. /slɪt/ 1. A straight and narrow cut or incision; an aperture resembling a cut of this description:
a. In clothing; †sometimes in specific senses, as the opening in the front of a shirt, a pocket, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > opening or slit
slita1250
sparea1400
ventc1430
keyhole1943
a1250 Owl & Nightingale 1118 If hi mowe i-seo þe sitte, Stones hi doþ in heore slytte.
a1300 Floriz & Bl. 348 Þu most habbe redi mitte Twenti Marc ine þi slitte.
c1330 Arth. & Merl. 1406 (Kölbing) Þe king was wondred out of witt & toke þe messanger bi þe slit.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 271/2 Slytte of a womans gowne, fente, dune robe a femme.
1563 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments 1076/2 A close hoode, with two holes for his eyes..& a slit for his mouthe to breath at.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 432 Hee put the sword into the fire,..and so thrust it into the slit of his shirt.
1796 W. Mason Birth of Fashion in Poems (1830) ii. 32 To show her legs (inglorious thought) By well-chose slits in petticoat.
1855 Bell Wks. Chaucer VII. 41 (note) The fashion of..cutting it [sc. the dress] in slits so as to show the under~garment or lining.
b. In general use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > [noun] > a cut or incision
garse?c1225
chinea1387
slit1398
incisionc1400
slivingc1400
raising?a1425
scotchc1450
racec1500
tranchec1500
kerf?1523
hack1555
slash1580
hew1596
raze1596
incutting1598
slisha1616
scar1653
lancementa1655
slap1688
slip1688
nick1692
streak1725
sneck1768
snick1775
rut1785
sliver1806
overcut1874
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > chink, crevice, or cleft > straight and narrow
slit1398
splite1489
slot?1523
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Bodl.) xvii. cii Droppinge þat comeþ oute atte kenes & slittes þat beþ made þerein is acounted lasse worþe.
c1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 1120 With brymstoon resolute ypitte Aboute in euery chynyng, clift, or slitte.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. ii The hynder end of the ploughbeam is put in a long slyt.
?a1560 L. Digges Geom. Pract.: Pantometria (1571) i. xxii. sig. G iij A thinne plate halfe an ynche broade,..and in the middes a fine slytte.
1668 N. Culpeper & A. Cole tr. T. Bartholin Anat. (new ed.) iv. ix. 166 A long slit is made in each of them.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics ii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 74 Just in that space a narrow Slit we make. View more context for this quotation
1769 Lloyd's Evening Post 20–2 Sept. 283/3 Quills thus..hardened, bear longer Slits, which Slit is always free.
1796 Glasse's Art of Cookery (new ed.) v. 57 Take a large leg of lamb, cut a long slit on the back.
1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 157 When the cutting had once commenced, it was easily continued until a deep slit was produced in the steel.
1856 G. Wilson Gateways Knowl. (1859) 12 When Pussy is basking in the sun..she shows..only a narrow slit for a pupil.
1871 B. Stewart Heat (ed. 2) §19 The thermometer is inserted through a closely fitting slit in a thick piece of india-rubber.
c. A long narrow aperture in a wall; a window of this form. Also transferred.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > window or door > types of window > [noun] > other types of window
loop1393
shot-windowc1405
gable window1428
batement light1445
church window1458
shot1513
casement1538
dream-hole1559
luket1564
draw window1567
loop-window1574
loophole1591
tower-windowc1593
thorough lights1600
squinch1602
turret window1603
slit1607
close-shuts1615
gutter window1620
street lighta1625
balcony-window1635
clere-story window1679
slip1730
air-loop1758
Venetian1766
Venetian window1775
sidelight1779
lancet window1781
French casement1804
double window1819
couplet1844
spire-light1846
lancet1848
tower-light1848
triplet1849
bar-window1857
pair-light1868
nook window1878
coupled windows1881
three-light1908–9
north-light1919
storm window1933
borrowed light1934
Thermopane1941
storms1952
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > for looking through
oillet1333
loop1393
sight-hole1559
tote-hole1561
peepholea1570
loophole1591
eyehole1655
grille1686
slit17..
eyelet1762
eyelet hole1774
spying-hole1791
eye-loop1803
squint1839
hagioscope1840
Judas hole1858
peek-hole1867
oillet pane1873
spy-hole1888
squint1891
viewport1942
1607 in J. Raine Fabric Rolls York Minster (1859) 119 To a joyner for a great casement for one of the longe slitts, 3s. 4d.
17.. A. Ramsay Up in Air ii Nae starns keek throw the azure slit.
1859 J. M. Jephson & L. Reeve Narr. Walking Tour Brittany vi. 70 An aisle pierced by twenty-four mere slits of round-headed windows.
1894 J. Macintosh Ayrshire Nights' Entertainm. xvii. 304 On the right-hand side is an arrow-slit commanding the outer doorway.
d. The vulva. coarse slang. Its currency is restricted in the manner of other coarse terms: see small-type note s.v. fuck v.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > sex organs > female sex organs > [noun] > vulva
vulva?a1425
wombgatec1450
nock1611
nonny-nonny1611
slit1648
old hat1697
concha1855
monkey1863
gash1873
slot1942
vag1967
mickey1969
front bum1985
punani1987
front bottom1991
1648 R. Herrick Hesperides sig. D8 Scobble for Whoredome whips his wife; and cryes, He'll slit her nose; But blubb'ring, she replyes, Good Sir, make no more cuts i' th' outward skin, One slit's enough to let Adultry in.
1714 Cabinet of Love 18 in Misc. Wks. Earls of Rochester & Roscommon (ed. 4) II His tarse, as soon as to my slit applied Up to the hilt into my cunt did slide.
1970 G. Greer Female Eunuch 265 The vagina..belittled by terms like..slit.
1977 Rolling Stone 24 Mar. 41/4 What am I going to call it? Snatch, Twat? Pussy? Puss puss, nice kitty, nice little animal that's so goddam patronizing it's almost as bad as saying ‘slit’.
e. A narrow, usually straight aperture in an optical instrument through which a beam of light can be received.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > optical instruments > [noun] > instrument for looking through > parts of
sight-hole1559
aperture1665
diaphragm1665
reticule1728
reticle1731
wire1737
web1746
screena1764
eye cap1822
spider-line1829
cobweb1837
slit1863
1832 Nat. Philos. (Libr. Useful Knowl.) II. ii. iii. 25/1 Instead of a row of holes, he formed one narrow slit in the shutter... By this means a spectrum of any required breadth may be formed.]
1863 E. Atkinson tr. A. Ganot Elem. Treat. Physics vii. iv. 410 A telescope, the eyepiece of which can be regulated by a micrometric screw... The slit is in the focus of the object-glass of the telescope.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. s.v. Spectroscope The light l is admitted to the tube f through an adjustable slit in the piece d, the upper part only of which is open.
1884 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 801/1 The slit of the collimator is backed by a sodium flame.
1888 Proc. Royal Soc. 1887–8 43 130 Huggins's photograph of the spectrum of Comet Wells, taken with a wide slit.
1895 Pop. Sci. Monthly Aug. 470 A most useful appliance for viewing pictures is the so-called stenopaic slit.
1905 E. C. C. Baly Spectrosc. iii. 48 As generally used at the present time the slit is formed between two metal jaws, one of which is fixed while the other is moved by a fine-pitched screw.
1926 Jrnl. Optical Soc. Amer. 10 186 If the spectrophotometer has a second collimator, the continuous spectrum may be formed from an incandescent light placed in front of its slit.
1969 D. W. Tenquist et al. Univ. Optics I. xi. 293 (caption) Fraunhofer diffraction at a double slit.
2. figurative. A schism, division, split. rare—1.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > hatred > quarrel or falling out > [noun]
slit1390
variancec1425
quarrellingc1460
falling out1539
quarrel1566
feud1568
breach1573
rupture1583
outcast1620
outfall1647
outfallingc1650
fallout1725
split1729
break-off1860
society > society and the community > dissent > [noun] > division or lack of unity > a state or instance of
slit1390
breach1573
rent1580
rifta1609
split1729
split-up1878
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis I. 15 In holy cherche of such a slitte Is for to rewe unto ous alle.
3. Agriculture. A part of a field which has been ‘split’ in ploughing. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land suitable for cultivation > [noun] > broken land > arable or ploughed land > divisions of ploughed land
ridgeOE
butt1304
landc1400
rig1428
sheth1431
shed1473
stitch1493
loon1611
furlong1660
size-land1744
slit1775
kench1799
stimpart1896
1775 W. Marshall Minutes Agric. 25 Oct. (1778) A level field, plowed in gathers and slits with a fixed-wrist plow.
4. Coal Mining. (See quots.)
ΚΠ
1860 Eng. & Foreign Mining Gloss. (new ed.) 44 Slit, a communication between two adits.
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining 227 Slit, a short heading put through to connect two other headings.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
slit-like adj.
ΚΠ
1869 G. Lawson Dis. Eye (1874) 137 To draw the opaque lens out of the eye through a slit-like opening.
1955 H. A. Gleason Introd. Descr. Ling. ii. 22 Because of the slit-like shape of the opening, these sounds are called slit fricatives.
slit-shaped adj.
ΚΠ
1890 A. Conan Doyle White Company xxix The narrow slit-shaped openings at either side of the ponderous gate.
slit-wise adv.
ΚΠ
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Grafting The Azerole or small Medlar may particularly be grafted Slitwise [1727 Slit-ways] upon the white Thorn.
C2. † slit-graft n. Obsolete a graft inserted in a slit in the stock, or intended for this purpose.† slit-grafting n. Obsolete grafting performed by means of a slit in the stock.
slit-bar n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. Slit Bar, a bar having an open slot or central clear space within which a stud is slid or tightened at pleasure.
slit drum n. a primitive percussion instrument made out of a hollowed log with a longitudinal slit.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > [noun] > wood blocks
wood-block1837
pan1874
paiban1884
Chinese block1926
temple block1929
slit drum1933
slit-gong1938
1933 Africa VI. 155 The deep-toned slit-drum..is assigned by ethnologists..to the matriarchal ‘two-class’ culture circle.
1957 New Oxf. Hist. Music I. ii. 185 The wooden fish, still in use among Taoists and Buddhists, is a slit-drum.
1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia XIV. 61/2 In Vietnam the slit-drum is both a temple and a watchmen's instrument. On Java slit-drums can be traced to the Hindu-Javanese period (1st–9th century ad).
slit-eyed adj. having long and narrow eyes.
ΚΠ
1894 Daily News 18 June 6/3 Bands of slit-eyed Chinamen.
1899 F. T. Bullen Log of Sea-waif 44 That slit-eyed pagan..found me out.
slit fricative n. Phonetics a fricative or spirant sound made by expelling the breath through a narrow aperture.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > speech sound by manner > [noun] > obstruent > spirant or continuant > fricative > slit
slit fricative1973
1973 J. C. Wells Jamaican Pronunc. in London 127 This feature is an extension of the..distinction between ‘groove’ and ‘slit’ fricatives.
slit-gong n. = slit drum n. above.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > [noun] > wood blocks
wood-block1837
pan1874
paiban1884
Chinese block1926
temple block1929
slit drum1933
slit-gong1938
1938 Jrnl. Royal Anthropol. Inst. 68 241 Samara returned to the village and after beating the slit-gong gave vent to his grievance.
1970 Times 23 Feb. 10/4 (caption) A ‘slit gong’ which has been accepted by the Queen as a gift... The gong is used in the New Hebrides to convey messages, summon people and sound the alarm.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > management of plants > propagation of plants > [noun] > by cuttings > cutting or slip > for grafting
imp1377
graffa1398
talionc1440
graft1483
slip1495
set1513
wedge?1523
scutcheon1572
shield1572
truncheon1572
breeder1601
scion1612
escutcheon1658
slit-graft1706
graffshoot1860
shield-bud1891
1706 G. London & H. Wise Retir'd Gard'ner I. ii. xii. 164 I desire you would tell me how a Slit-graft should be cut.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > management of plants > propagation of plants > [noun] > grafting > cleft-grafting
cleft-grafting1669
slit-grafting1706
stock-grafting1731
1706 G. London & H. Wise Retir'd Gard'ner I. ii. xii. 159 I shall only mention Three different Sorts of Grafting, viz. Scutcheon-grafting, Slit-grafting, and Crown-grafting.
1763 J. Mills New Syst. Pract. Husbandry IV. 213 Cleft-grafting, called also Stock, or Slit-grafting.
slit-jaw n. each of the two pieces forming the sides of a spectroscope slit.
ΚΠ
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXII. 783/1 Huggins's reflecting slit-jaws permit the star image to be seen on the slit, and are preferred by many observers to other guiding devices.
slit lamp n. Ophthalmology a lamp which emits a narrow but intense beam of light, used for examining the interior of the eye; frequently attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > ophthalmology or optometry > [noun] > instrumental examination or measurement of eye > instruments used in
optometer1738
opsiometer1842
ophthalmoscope1856
auto-ophthalmoscope1863
ophthalmometer1864
phacoidoscope1864
strabismometer1869
autoscope1873
strabometer1874
perimeter1875
leucoscope1883
retinoscope1883
phacoscope1886
phorometer1888
campimeter1889
prisoptometer1890
scotometer1890
skiascope1892
transilluminator1906
slit lamp1922
anomaloscope1923
gonioscope1925
synoptophore1934
1922 Arch. Ophthalmol. 51 271 Many new phases of examination of the living eye are made possible by the use of the slit lamp.
1925 C. Goulden & C. L. Harris tr. F. E. Koby (title) Slit-lamp Microscopy of the Living Eye.
1932 Optician 83 402/1 The slit-lamp microscope.
1961 Lancet 26 Aug. 467/1 Optical methods of examination [of the eye] (chiefly the slit~lamp microscope and the gonioscope).
1978 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Med. 71 100 Slit-lamp examination revealed a moderate number of cells in the anterior and posterior vitreous.
slit-limpet n. (see quots.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Gastropoda > [noun] > superorder Branchifera > order Prosobranchiata > section Holostomata > limpet > member of family Fissurellidae
keyhole limpet1820
slit-limpet1901
1901 E. Step Shell Life 193 The Slit-limpets (Fissurellidae)..have a slit which serves the purpose of an excretory orifice.
1901 E. Step Shell Life 195 Common Slit-limpet (Emarginata fissura).
slit-planting n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > planting > [noun] > planting in slit
slit-planting1831
slit-setting1869
1831 On Planting (Libr. Useful Knowl.) iii. 35 Slit planting is the most simple mode, and is practised on soils in their natural state.
1843 J. Smith Forest Trees 64 What is called slit-planting I consider best on shallow ground.
slit pocket n. a side pocket in a garment, with a vertical opening.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > pocket > types of
French pocket1675
side pocket1678
breast pocket1758
suck1821
watch-pocket1831
patch pocket1895
insider1896
prat1908
sidekick1916
bellows pocket1922
pannier pocket1922
welt pocket1932
slit pocket1933
1933 J. E. Liberty Pract. Tailoring ix. 169 Slit pockets are somewhat similar to trouser pockets and are made with jettings, or welts, but the pocket is not sewn twice. The mouth of the pocket is almost upright and at least 7 in. long for a normal size coat.
1978 M. Sichel Costume Reference 8: 1918–39 36 Many skirts worn with blouses had pockets at the sides or slit pockets and belts of the same material.
slit sampler n. a device for studying the bacterial content of the air, having a slit through which it is drawn.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > laboratory analysis > material > [noun] > sample > tool for collecting samples
tangle1882
bottom sampler1898
slit sampler1941
1941 R. B. Bourdillon et al. in Jrnl. Hygiene 41 220 The range of concentrations which can be measured accurately with the slit sampler is from about 1 to 10,000 per cu. ft.
1963 J. B. Walter & M. S. Israel Gen. Pathol. xix. 295 The slit-sampler consists of a narrow slit through which air is sucked on to a rotating culture plate beneath it.
slit setting n. see slit-planting n. above.
slit-setting n. a mode of planting or setting in which mere slits are made in the ground with a spade or similar implement.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > planting > [noun] > planting in slit
slit-planting1831
slit-setting1869
1869 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1868 253 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (40th Congr., 3rd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc.) XV The injury is less than that of the same kind incident to slit-setting, by means of a spade.
slit sound n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > speech sound by manner > [noun] > obstruent > spirant or continuant > slit sound
slit sound1912
slit spirant1958
1912 E. Prokosch in Amer. Jrnl. Philol. XXXIII. 197 Spirants of these places of articulation can be formed in two ways: either, the surface of the tongue is convex, so that the breath passes through a narrow slit, as with þ, χ; or, the tongue forms a more or less distinct rill in its median line, as with s, sh. The former may be called slit sounds, the latter rill sounds.
slit-trench n. a narrow trench made to accommodate and protect a soldier or weapon in battle.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > earthwork or rampart > [noun] > trench > types of trench
transverse1704
front trench1847
communicating trench1857
shelter-trench1870
firing bay1885
communication trench1903
fire trench1907
funk-hole1914
support trench1914
foxhole1915
fire bay1916
slit-trench1942
1942 Hutchinson's Pict. Hist. War 18 Mar.–9 June 130 Slit trenches used for protection by troops were called ‘fox-holes’ by American soldiers fighting against the Japanese on Bataan peninsula.
1944 Times 12 May 3/2 At Manus Island the prisoners were made to dig slit trenches for the Japanese.
1971 B. W. Aldiss Soldier Erect 162 My slit-trench is the first on the right, next to the cookhouse. Cheerio, Ali, you old robber!
slit spectroscope
ΚΠ
1897 Knowledge Feb. 37/1 A slit spectroscope.
slit spirant n. Phonetics = slit fricative n. above.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > speech sound by manner > [noun] > obstruent > spirant or continuant > slit sound
slit sound1912
slit spirant1958
1958 C. F. Hockett Course in Mod. Linguistics viii. 72 Both English /sz/ and English /θð/ are normally apico-alveolar, but the former are rill spirants, the latter slit spirants.
1970 Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. 1968 l. 21 The phoneme /θ/ of thirty, Martha, hearth is a voiceless dental slit spirant [θ].
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online September 2019).
slitadj.
1. Of garments: Rent, torn; slashed.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > having specific parts > ornamented or trimmed > cut or slashed
taggedc1380
daggedc1386
slita1387
rivenc1400
jaggedc1440
cut1480
voided1548
razed1552
raced1576
slashed1633
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 297 Cloþed in slitte cloþis and foule.
1438 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 111 A gowne..with slyt slyues y-furred.
a1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 30 Thei were the furst that brought up this astate that ye use of gret purfiles and slitte cotes.
1706 London Gaz. No. 4257/4 A brown Coat, with slit Sleeves.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 129. ¶10 A Coat with long Pockets, and slit Sleeves.
2. Naturally divided or cloven.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > other specific shapes > [adjective] > divided or segmented
slit1607
dissected1652
the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > two > division into two > [adjective]
bipartite1574
biparted1586
slit1607
cleft1609
bisected1656
two-parted1793
dichotomized1806
dichotomous1817
dichotomal1818
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 125 The face of this beast is fleshy,..his eares..are slit.
1664 H. Power Exper. Philos. i. 2 His feet are slit into claws or talons.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth IV. 170 Its tongue..is forked or slit at the end like that of serpents.
3.
a. Cut with a sharp instrument; divided by slitting.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > [adjective] > cutting off or away (with an instrument) > cut off or cut with an instrument
forcedc1440
pared1440
clipped1483
well-shaven1542
chipped1562
shared1598
slit1611
snipped1611
circumcised1664
neat-cut1770
whittled1792
sliced1874
skived1875
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Fendu, the slit, or clouen side of a thing.
1648 H. Hexham Groot Woorden-boeck Gesliste ooren, slit or Cropped eares.
1670 J. Milton Hist. Brit. vi. 259 Canute..took the hostages.., and with slit Noses..setting them ashore, departed into Denmarke.
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Grafting Loam and slit Osier.
1835–6 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. I. 240/2 Looking along the slit-side of the vessel.
1865 E. B. Tylor Res. Early Hist. Mankind i. 1 The weights that pull the slit ears in long nooses to the shoulder.
1885 G. Meredith Diana of Crossways I. i. 24 Poniarded, slit-throat, rope-dependant figures.
b. spec. Of deals: (see quot. 1842).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood in specific form > [adjective] > made of boards or planks > split into thin boards
slit1632
1632 in E. B. Jupp Carpenters' Co. (1887) 297 The dividing of..Chambers and other roomes..with slitt or whole deales.
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 24 The Bearers are made of Slit-Deal.
1704 H. Stanton Let. 23 Jan. in D. Defoe Storm 124 We are obliged to make use of Slit Deals to supply the want of Slats and Tyles.
1772 T. Simpson Compl. Vermin-killer 26 Lay a piece of slit deal over the trap.
1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. Gloss. 935 at Board Fir boards of this sort, one inch and a quarter thick, are called whole deal, and those a full half inch thick, slit deal.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. 2212/2 Slit-deal Plane, a tonguing or grooving plane.
Compounds
C1. In various special collocations (see quots.).
a.
slit ear n.
ΚΠ
1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Colonial Reformer I. xi. 174 Wether, hogget, ewe, weaner, slit-ear.
slit iron n.
ΚΠ
1789 Deb. Congr. U.S. 17 Apr. (1834) I. 167 To lay an impost of seven and a half per cent..upon..slit or rolled iron.
1843 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. I. 188 These rods are also made of larger sizes, when they are called slit iron.
slit nail n.
ΚΠ
1799 J. Robertson Gen. View Agric. Perth 96 An oblong hole, into which a slit-nail is put.
slit nose-bit n.
ΚΠ
1846 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. II. 540 The nose-bit,..called also the slit nose-bit,..is slit up a small distance near the center.
slit picture n.
ΚΠ
1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 47 The third [school] is for Boys painting the Toys and slit Pictures.
slit piece n.
ΚΠ
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 503 A circular rack..that holds the curb or slit-piece.
1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 270 This slit~piece [in a silk-winding engine] is called the cleaner.
slit rod n.
ΚΠ
1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) II. 319 ‘Slit rods,’ which are used for nail-making.
1882 Worcs. Exhib. Catal. iii. 18 Slit rods for making into nails.
slit shell n.
ΚΠ
1881 Cassell's Nat. Hist. V. 216 Genus Pleurotomaria, ‘Slit-shell’.
1897 Woodward in Concise Knowl. Nat. Hist. 632 The Pleurotomidae, or slit~shells, have conical, spiral shells with a notch in the outer lip at the periphery.
slit stone n.
ΚΠ
1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura ii. 18 Such as were the Slit-stones, or Slates which succeeded the stately marbles.
slit work n.
ΚΠ
1636 Springfield (Mass.) Rec. I. 160 For the sawinge of all the boards & slit worke.
1709 Essex Inst. Hist. Coll. VIII. 19 To 7 thousands of slit woork or more.
1799 S. Freeman Town Officer (ed. 4) 124 All boards, plank, timber and slitwork..shall be surveyed.
b.
slit skirt n. a tight skirt slit upward from the hem for ease of movement or sexual allurement.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > clothing for lower body > skirt > types of > close-fitting
tunnel skirt1870
sheath1904
hobble1911
slit skirt1913
tube skirt1948
1913 Punch 30 July 101/2 Four young women who last week promenaded Fifth Avenue, New York, in slit skirts..were surrounded by an enraged mob.
1954 C. G. Bradley Western World Costume xxi. 342 The hobble skirt of 1914 was worn even on long walking excursions. The slit skirt of the same year brought protests from bishops and ministers.
1976 ‘M. Delving’ China Expert i. 7 The slit skirt of the ch'i pao she always wore.
C2.
slit-eared adj.
ΚΠ
1850 W. Irving Mahomet xxxv Al Adha or the slit-eared, the swiftest of his camels.
1880 R. Browning Muléykeh in Dramatic Idyls 32 You feed young beasts..of famous breed, Slit-eared, unblemished.
slit-footed adj.
ΚΠ
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 224 Clouen or slitte-footed, into many clawes.
slit-nosed adj.
ΚΠ
1884 E. Coues Key to N. Amer. Birds (ed. 2) 733 Gaviæ, Slit-nosed Longwings.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online September 2019).
slitv.
/slɪt/, U.S. /slɪt/α. infinitive (and present) Middle English–1500s slytte; Middle English slitte (Middle English sclitte, slitt), Middle English, 1500s– slit.c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 552 To doon his diligence..Or with a swerd þt he wolde slytte his herte.1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 721/2 Slytte this stycke in twayne.a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) v. i. 122 Ile slit the villaines nose that would haue sent me to the Iaile.1637 W. Cartwright Royall Slave iii. iii Let's slit this graver weazen.1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 114 They slit the Noses of all their Asses, to make them breath more freely.1789 Glasse's Art of Cookery (new ed.) ii. 44 Slit them in two, and put the yolk of an egg over.1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset II. li. 85 I was going to slit the picture from the top to the bottom.1869 H. F. Tozer Res. Highlands of Turkey II. 280 To slit the branch of a sapling tree.
β. past tense Middle English slitte, Middle English slytte, slyt, Middle English, 1600s– slit; also Middle English slitted, Middle English slytted.(a) ▸ a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 39 Þan sche kutte and slitte here cloþes.a1400 Sir Beues 866 Sum vpon þe helm a hitte, In to þe sadel he hem slitte.c1400 Pilgr. Sowle (1483) iii. ix. 55 Thenne sawe I yet another companye of whiche fowle Sathanas slytte the throtes.a1500 (?c1450) Merlin vii. 118 He slyt a-sonder the sadell and the chyne of the horse.1664 H. Power Exper. Philos. i. 55 We slit a black Horse's Hair with a Razor, and perceived it to be hollow.1873 W. H. Dixon Hist. Two Queens I. i. iv. 27 The figure drew a sword and slit Arbues through the elbow.(b)a1300 E.E. Psalter xxix. 14 Þou slitted mi sek in twa.c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 298 Þe turmentourys..slytted hym & his herte a-sunder.1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 421/1 As hys cook dressyd and slytted it [sc. the fish].
γ. past participle Middle English i-slit, Middle English i-slitte, Middle English–1500s slitte, Middle English slyt(t, sclyt, 1500s– slit (1600s slitt); also 1600s, 1800s slitted.The modern northern dialect slitten is perhaps a new formation, but may be a survival of the past participle of slite v.
1.
a. transitive. To cut into, or cut open, by means of a sharp instrument or weapon; to divide or sever by making a long straight cut or fissure; (also) to take off or out in this way.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (transitive)]
snithec725
carvec1000
cutc1275
slitc1275
hag1294
ritc1300
chop1362
slash1382
cut and carvea1398
flash?a1400
flish?a1400
slenda1400
race?a1425
raise?a1425
razea1425
scotch?c1425
ochec1440
slitec1450
ranch?a1525
scorchc1550
scalp1552
mincea1560
rash?1565
beslash1581
fent1589
engrave1590
nick1592
snip1593
carbonado1596
rescide1598
skice1600
entail1601
chip1609
wriggle1612
insecate1623
carbonate1629
carbonade1634
insecta1652
flick1676
sneg1718
snick1728
slot1747
sneck1817
tame1847
bite-
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 7097 Þa al islit wes þe þong he wes wunder ane long.
a1300 Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter xxix. 14 Þou slitted mi sek in twa.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 39 Þan sche kutte and slitte here cloþes.
a1400 Sir Beues 866 Sum vpon þe helm a hitte, In to þe sadel he hem slitte.
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 552 To doon his diligence..Or with a swerd þt he wolde slytte his herte.
c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Augustine (1910) 34 This same Innocent..had a greuous sor, whech sor myth not be hol..with-outen þat it wer slitte.
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 421/1 As hys cook dressyd and slytted it [sc. the fish].
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) vii. 118 He slyt a-sonder the sadell and the chyne of the horse.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 721/2 Slytte this stycke in twayne.
1589 ‘Pasquill of England’ Returne of Pasquill sig. Biijv Your tongue will be slitte if you take not heede.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) v. i. 122 Ile slit the villaines nose that would haue sent me to the Iaile. View more context for this quotation
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 114 They slit the Noses of all their Asses, to make them breath more freely.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 29 Their Shirt (which hath sleeves like our Womens Smocks, and is slit in the same manner) comes over their Drawers.
1710 R. Steele Tatler No. 164. ⁋4 Sirrah, you deserve to have your Nose slit.
1789 Glasse's Art of Cookery (new ed.) ii. 44 Slit them in two, and put the yolk of an egg over.
1823 H. J. Brooke Familiar Introd. Crystallogr. 88 Crystals which might be conceived to have been slit in a particular direction.
1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset II. li. 85 I was going to slit the picture from the top to the bottom.
1883 J. Gilmour Among Mongols xxiv. 296 The tongue they had slit and hung up to dry.
1900 Daily Mail 26 Apr. 4/4 The earth is all slitted with trenches.
b. figurative. To divide, separate, sever.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separate [verb (transitive)]
to-twemec893
sunderOE
asunderOE
shedOE
dealOE
shill1049
skillc1175
to-twinc1175
twinc1230
disseverc1250
depart1297
slita1300
to-throwc1315
parta1325
drevec1325
devisec1330
dividec1374
sever1382
unknit?a1425
divorce1430
separea1450
separate?a1475
untine1496
to put apart1530
discussa1542
deceper1547
disseparate1550
apart1563
unjoint1565
shoal1571
divisionatea1586
single1587
dispart1590
descide1598
disassociate1598
distract1600
dissolve1605
discriminate1615
dissociate1623
discerpa1628
discind1640
dissunder1642
distinguish1648
severize1649
unstring1674
skaila1833
cleave1873
dirempt1885
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > division by cutting > divide by cutting [verb (transitive)]
cutc1300
shed13..
tamec1400
to-carvec1400
discidea1513
share?1566
shred?1566
dissect1608
slit1638
disecta1690
sned1889
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > divide [verb (transitive)]
to-shedc888
to-dealeOE
dealc950
twemea1023
to-doOE
to-shiftc1122
brittenc1175
sunderc1230
depart1297
parta1300
twain15..
dividec1380
minisha1382
dressc1410
dissever1417
sever1435
quarterc1440
distinct1526
videc1540
disperse1548
several1570
separate1581
dirempt1587
distinguish1609
piecemeal1611
discrete1624
dispart1629
slit1645
parcel1652
canton1653
tripartite1653
split1707
carve1711
scind1869
a1300 Early Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter lxxxviii. 24 (Egerton) I sal slit [ Harl. slitte] fra his face his ille-wiland.
1638 J. Milton Lycidas in Obsequies 22 in Justa Edouardo King Comes the blind Furie with th' abhorred shears, And slits the thin-spun life.
1645 J. Milton Colasterion 12 Now hee comes to the Position,..and like an able text man slits it into fowr.
1798 Anti-Jacobin 23 Apr. 189/1 'Till deadly Atropos with fatal sheers Slits the thin promise of th'expected years.
2. technical. To cut (iron) into rods or (wood) into thin deals.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > perform general or industrial manufacturing processes [verb (transitive)] > cut or cleave
rive1440
slit1522
part1923
1522 Accts. St. John's Hosp., Canterbury (Canterbury Cathedral Archives: CCA-U13/4) For slyttyng of xliij fote of tymber.
1796 J. Morse Amer. Universal Geogr. (new ed.) I. 410 The slitting-mills in this district, it is said, annually slit 600 tons of iron.
1831 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal I. 146 The practice of slitting, as it is termed, sheets of metal into light rods.
1873 J. Richards Operator's Handbk. 114 Carriage saws, such as are used for jointing floor boards or slitting very long stuff.
3. Agriculture. To ‘split’ in ploughing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > ploughing > plough (land) [verb (transitive)] > methods of turning furrow
ribble1764
slit1766
split1844
to gather up1846
back-furrow1855
1766 Compl. Farmer at Lucern In March the same year..he slit the ridges with the plough.
Draft additions 1993
To narrow (the eyes) into slits, esp. for protection against the wind, rain, etc., as a sign of distrust, or in order to concentrate one's gaze; to half-close.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > eye > [verb (transitive)] > move eyes > close eyes > half-close
slita1961
a1961 J. R. Ullman in Webster Morning sunlight flooded in upon him, and he slitted his eyes against the glare.
1964 O. E. Middleton in C. K. Stead N.Z. Short Stories (1966) 2nd Ser. 203 With a half-smile he slits his eyes against the smoke.
1975 M. Duffy Capital iii. 132 Meepers began to chip away at the hard earth, slitting his eyes against the flying fragments.
1989 Washington Post 8 Mar. d3/2 Slitting his eyes as if sensing a trick question, the secretary said, ‘It's just a very worthwhile institution.’
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online September 2019).
<
n.a1250
adj.a1387v.c1275