slicen.1
/slʌɪs/, U.S. /slaɪs/ I. A thin piece or portion.† 1. A fragment, a shiver, a splinter. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a fragment > splinter
shiverc1275
spillc1300
spelda1375
splint1398
splinter1398
slicea1400
splinderc1440
spilderc1475
spelder1530
spell1545
splitter1546
spleter1548
spilt1577
shivering1589
skilfer1598
spelcha1605
slifter1606
spilter?1646
slappet1768
a1400 K. Alis. (Laud) 3833 Hij braken speres alto slice [v.r. sclyces].
c1425 Wyntoun Cron. viii. xxxi. 5153 A sklysse of þe schaft, þat brak, In til his hande a wounde can mak.
1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Scotl. 396/2 in Chron. I This worthy Prince James the seconde, was slayne by the slice of a great peece of artillerie, which by ouercharging chanced to breake.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 102 At last in Paris, standing besyd a singular combatt, [the duke] is slane with a sklyse of a speir.
2. elliptical.a1764 R. Lloyd Dialogue Author & Friend in Wks. Eng. Poets (1810) 109/1 Whether the Grecians took a slice Four times a-day, or only twice.?1780 W. Cowper Love of World 36 Each thinks his neighbour makes too free, Yet likes a slice as well as he.figurative.1796 Grose's Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue (ed. 3) To take a slice, to intrigue, particularly with a married woman.1817 W. Scott Rob Roy I. vi. 136 We hae nae slices o' the spare rib here..except auld Martha.
a. A relatively thin, flat, broad piece cut from anything. Frequently const. of or from.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > condition of being broad in relation to thickness > [noun] > thin piece cut off
slicea1475
trench1558
slivinga1825
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a piece or bit > a piece cut off > a slice
cantlec1400
leachc1440
slicea1475
tailye?a1500
tranchec1500
trench1558
slive1577
collop1579
gigot?1611
slivinga1825
a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sloane) (1862) 48 In hom þou cast With sklices of bacon.
1568 Christis Kirk on Grene in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 266 Fra his thowme thay dang a sklyss.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 752 If it be a wound hee healeth it after the same manner, applying a round slice of Beauers stones.
1700 J. Dryden tr. Ovid Baucis & Philemon in Fables 157 High o'er the Hearth a Chine of Bacon hung; Good old Philemon seiz'd it.., Then cut a Slice.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Veneering The Wood intended for Veneering, is first saw'd out into Slices, or Leaves about a Line thick.
1811 J. Jebb Let. 23 July in J. Jebb & A. Knox Thirty Years' Corr. (1834) II. 42 Having..taken a slice off my right thumb, whilst pruning a rose tree.
1859 W. S. Coleman Our Woodlands 7 A transverse slice from the trunk of an immense tree.
1888 F. Rutley Rock-forming Minerals 37 A parallel-faced slice of a uniaxial crystal is cut.
b. Geology. A relatively thin, broad mass of rock situated between two approximately parallel thrust faults, esp. when these make a small angle with the horizontal. Also thrust slice.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > mass > [noun] > of rock > between faults
cleavage-mass1871
trough fault1883
horst1893
fault-block1897
thrust-mass1901
klippe1902
slice1914
rift block1915
nappe1922
1914 B. N. Peach & J. Horne Guide Geol. Model Assynt Mts. 18 The slices of strata thus repeated have been driven westwards by major thrusts along planes which truncate the overlying reversed faults.
1942 M. P. Billings Struct. Geol. xvii. 327 Surrounding the basin is a zone..of outwardly-driven thrust slices. In still another zone..rootless slices and isolated blocks of various slices are common.
1957 Q. Jrnl. Geol. Soc. 113 59 They occur..as infolds, and slices brought up along the Strathconon tear-fault.
1969 G. M. Bennison & A. E. Wright Geol. Hist. Brit. Isles iii. 46 In it [sc. the Laxfordian orogeny] are found fragments of earlier orogenic belts brought up as thrust slices.
c. Electronics. A small, thin slab of semiconducting material on which circuit elements have been formed.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > solid state physics > semiconductivity > [noun] > crystalline piece > silicon wafer or chip
silicon wafer1956
wafer1956
chip1962
slice1964
silicon chip1965
microchip1969
wafer chip1981
1964 Proc. IEEE 52 1713 (heading) Evolution of the concept of a computer on a slice.
1975 Sci. Amer. May 36/2 National Semiconductor..introduced a four-bit PMOS slice that could be used as a modular unit in the design of machines ranging from four to 32 bits.
3. transferred.
a. A portion, share, piece, part, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > giving > distributing or dealing out > an allotted share, portion, or part > [noun]
dealc825
lotOE
dolea1225
partc1300
portion?1316
sort1382
parcelc1400
skiftc1400
pane1440
partagec1450
shift1461
skair1511
allotment1528
snapshare1538
share1539
slice1548
fee1573
snap1575
moiety1597
snatch1601
allotterya1616
proportiona1616
symbol1627
dealth1637
quantum1649
cavelc1650
snip1655
sortition1671
snack1683
quota1688
contingency1723
snick1723
contingent1728
whack1785
divvy1872
end1903
bite1925
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a piece or bit
stitchc825
piecec1230
nookc1300
crotc1330
gobbetc1330
batc1340
lipe1377
gobbona1387
bladc1527
goblet1530
slice1548
limb1577
speild1653
swatch1697
frustum1721
nib1877
1548 R. Crowley Informacion & Peticion sig. Biiii None can be buried, but they wyl haue a slyese.
a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Spanish Curat iii. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Fv/2 A short slice of a Reading serves us (Sir).
1686 Bp. G. Burnet Some Lett. conc. Switzerland ii. 91 A Slice of the Alps came down upon it, and buried it quite.
1743 H. Walpole Corr. (1820) I. lxxx. 284 Your brother slipped a slice of paper into a letter which he sent me.
1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. i A fellow..who has spent a good slice of his life here.
1876 J. G. Holland Story of Sevenoaks (new ed.) xxiv. 332 A heavy slice of his ready money had been practically swept out of existence.
1893 F. Peel Spen Valley 55 A considerable slice of that side of the township.
b. slice of life n. [translating French tranche de la vie , a term originally applied to French Naturalist literature: see quot. 1890] a realistic and detailed portrayal in drama, narrative, painting, etc., of incidents typical of everyday life. Frequently (usually with hyphens) attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > [noun] > other types or branches
satyric1693
legitimate1826
boulevard theatre1838
satyr drama1839
tragicomic1842
costume drama1847
Sardoodledom1895
slice of life1895
cape and sword (also cape and cloak)1898
total theatre1935
epic theatre1938
Theatre of Cruelty1954
music theatre1957
psychodramatics1957
reader's theatre1957
metatheatre1960
Theatre of the Absurd1961
nautanki1962
Theatre of Fact1966
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > [adjective] > other types
satyric1637
cup-and-saucer1881
slice of life1895
glued-up1906
compressionist1961
am-dram1985
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > painting > painting according to subject > [adjective] > genre
rhyparographic1815
anecdotic1833
genre1849
moyen-age1849
anecdotal1870
slice of life1895
society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > types of narrative or story generally > [noun] > realistic
slice of life1895
tranche de vie1934
society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > types of narrative or story generally > [adjective] > realistic
true1671
realistic1829
slice of life1895
down to earth1922
dirty realist1984
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > painting and drawing > painting > painting according to subject > [noun] > genre painting > a genre painting > types of
conversation1712
bambocciade1816
bodegon1843
anecdote1867
slice of life1895
veduta1906
moyen-age1913
tranche de vie1934
1890 J. Jullien in Art et Critique 9 Aug. 500/2 Ce n'est donc qu'une tranche de la vie que nous pouvons mettre à la scène.]
1895 G. B. Shaw in Sat. Rev. 19 Oct. 503/1 The substitution of a homogeneous slice of life for the old theatrical sandwich of sentiment and comic relief.
1914 H. James in Times Lit. Suppl. 19 Mar. 134/4 The Orgreaves..come..as near squaring aesthetically with the famous formula of the ‘slice of life’ as any example that could be adduced.
1938 R. G. Collingwood Princ. Art p. v We have..a new drama, taking the place of the old ‘slice of life’ entertainment, in which the author's chief business was to represent everyday doings of ordinary people as the audience believed them to behave.
1954 M. Ewer Heart Untouched ix. 154 This is a costume picture, not a slice-of-life drama.
1962 Listener 14 June 1028/2 The pure landscape, the still life, the ‘slice of life’, the painting for painting's sake, is a late development.
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 4 Dec. 20/3 Mrs McFarland is one of the just-folks who appeared in one of those slice-of-life commercials.
1981 Daily Tel. 19 Feb. 13/1 Yet another indigestible slice of life about ‘a warm, winning, and wise and wonderful Jewish family’.
II. A spatula or similar utensil, and related uses.† 4. † b. (See quots.) Obsolete.
a. A spatula used for stirring and mixing compounds. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > types of tools generally > [noun] > flat blade-shaped
spature1348
slicec1400
pallet?a1425
spatulea1425
spattlec1440
slice1483
spatula1525
spatter1569
spather1597
lingel1598
spatul1600
languet1611
spathern1634
blade1653
spathula1658
spatha1881
c1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 347 Meue hem wiþ a sclise longe, for þe more þat þei ben stirid togidere þe bettir it wole be.
a1425 tr. Arderne's Treat. Fistula 31 Moue þam all wayse wiþ a sklyse þat þai cleue not to þe panne.
1558 W. Ward tr. G. Ruscelli Secretes Alexis of Piemount (1568) 62 b Sturrynge them with a broade sklyse of woode.
1580 T. Blundeville Foure Offices Horsemanship (rev. ed.) iv. xxxiv. 16 b Stirre them continuallie with a flat sticke, or slice, vntill they be throughlie mingled..togither.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 520 Calcin it ouer the fire in a pan, stirring and mixing it together with little slices or pot~stickes.
1698 W. Harris & J. Keill tr. N. Lémery Course Chym. (ed. 3) i. viii. 220 Dry it by a small fire of Sand, stirring it with an Ivory or Wooden slice.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > pharmacy > [noun] > pharmacist's equipment
cyath?1543
slice1611
oculist's stamp1778
pharmacometer1830
medicine stamp1849
medicine seal1851
pill tile1852
cyathus1854
pill slab1893
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Espatule, a (Chirurgions, or Apothecaries) little slice.
1627 G. Hakewill Apologie i. i. 11 The Pellican hath a beake broade and flat, much like the slice of Apothecaries and Surgions with which they spread their plaisters.
5. One or other of several flattish utensils (sometimes perforated) used for various purposes in cookery, etc. (see quots., and cf. egg-slice n., fish slice n.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > [noun] > slice
slice1459
egg-slice1747
fish-slice1747
trowel1773
cake slice1813
fish-trowel1855
trowel-slicer1862
palette knife1889
cake server?1891
α.
β. a1529 J. Skelton Tunnyng of Elynour Rummyng in Certayne Bks. (?1545) 409 A fryinge pan, and a slyce.?1600 H. Plat Delightes for Ladies sig. D You must haue also a brasen slice to scrape away the sugar from the hanging bason.1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 317/1 A Slice..to cut Dough into pieces, called a Beater, a Break.1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 396/1 A long piece of Wood cut after the manner of a Slice which Deary-women use about their Butter.1814 F. Shoberl tr. J. Klaproth Trav. Caucasus & Georgia 131 An iron pot.., together with a large perforated iron slice.1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Slice,..a spatula for serving cooked fish.a1887 Cassell's Dict. Cookery 201 Take the eggs out carefully with a small slice.1459 Paston Lett. I. 490 Item, j. fryeyng panne, j. sclyse.
1548 T. Cooper Bibliotheca Eliotæ (rev. ed.) Spatha,..also an instrument of the kytchen to turne meate that is fried, a sklise.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Friquette, a lingell, smalle sklice, little scummer.
6. A form of fire-shovel; also, an instrument for clearing the bars of a furnace when choked with clinkers.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > heating or making hot > that which or one who heats > [noun] > a device for heating or warming > devices for heating buildings, rooms, etc. > hearth or fireplace > fire-shovel
fire shoveleOE
slice1465
sifter1875
α.
β. 1612 in Antiquary Jan. (1906) 28 In the Kytchin..a fire slyce, two fire shovells [etc.].1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. i. 8 You must with the Slice clap the Coals upon the outside close together.1750 T. R. Blanckley Naval Expositor 153 Slices are used by the Smiths to clear and keep their Fire together.1835 N. Hawthorne Old Woman's Tale in Tales & Sketches (1879) 178 It was a sort of iron shovel (by housewifes termed a ‘slice’), such as is used in clearing the oven.1879 Spons' Encycl. Manuf. I. 291 The workman with his ‘slice’ then spreads the charge over the bed, so as to thoroughly expose every portion to the action of the flames.1465 in J. Raine Charters Priory Finchale (1837) 299 j quarell mell, j bochyng axs, j sclys.
1555 in T. Wright Churchwardens' Accts. Ludlow (1869) 60 Paid for a sklyce to cary fyer to the churche.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. xxxiii. viii. 478 Lay a peece of silver ore upon a sclise, plate, or fire pan of yron red hot.
7. A flattish instrument, implement, etc., of various kinds (see quots.).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > types of tools generally > [noun] > flat blade-shaped
spature1348
slicec1400
pallet?a1425
spatulea1425
spattlec1440
slice1483
spatula1525
spatter1569
spather1597
lingel1598
spatul1600
languet1611
spathern1634
blade1653
spathula1658
spatha1881
1483 Cath. Angl. 322/2 A Sclice, vertinella, est forceps medici, spatula.
1541 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1844) I. 176 Ane stuffin sclyise, with ane yeirning sclyise.
1580 T. Blundeville Foure Offices Horsemanship (rev. ed.) iv. cx. 51 Then with a flat slice of iron, loosen the skin within from the flesh.
1611 Bible (King James) Lev. ii. 5 A meate offering baken in a panne [margin. on a flat plate or slice] . View more context for this quotation
1665 S. Pepys Diary 16 Mar. (1972) VI. 57 Two large silver Candlestickes and snuffers, and a Slice to keep them upon.
1707 J. Mortimer Whole Art Husbandry (1721) II. 126 Then with a slice, without digging, you may force off all the under Slips.
1712 London Gaz. No. 4960/3 A sliver Slice to fold Paper.
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 2207/2 Slice,..2. (Nautical.) a. A bar with a chisel or spear-shaped end, used for stripping off sheathing or planking. b. A spade-shaped tool used in flensing whales.
1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 112/1 One of the workmen detaches the adhering crystals [of lead] by means of a long iron bar shaped at the end like a chisel, called a slice.
8. Printing.
a. An ink-knife (cf. ink-slice n.).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > inking equipment > [noun] > ink-knife
slice1683
ink-slice1884
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 57 The Slice is a little thin Iron Shovel about three or four Inches broad, and five Inches long; it hath a Handle to it.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory (1905) iii. xxi. 257/2 He beareth Argent, a Printers Slice, Sable.
1808 C. Stower Printer's Gram. 336 The Brayer and Slice.
1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 126 Slice, a flat wide iron knife used for lifting ink out of the can.
b. The sliding bottom of a slice-galley.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > composing equipment > [noun] > galley > movable bottom of
slice1683
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 25 The three Sides of the Frame..stand about three fifth parts of the height of the Letter above the superficies of the Slice.
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 232 He..draws the Slice with the Page upon it, out of the Galley.
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 936/1 The galley sometimes has a groove to admit a false bottom, called a galley-slice.
9. Shipbuilding. (See quot. 1846.)
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > shipbuilding and repairing > [noun] > slip on which ships built or repaired > framework on which vessel rests > timbers supporting ship when launching
ways1581
bilge-ways1769
dogshore1780
driver1781
slice1791
puppet1792
stopping up1805
dog1831
dagger1838
bulge-ways1850
poppet1850
trigger1867
1791 1st Rep. Comm. Woods & Forests (1792) App. xxix. 143 The old Method..of launching Ships on a Curve Line, with short Bulgeways, and Slices under each end of them.
1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 285 Slices, in shipbuilding, tapered pieces of wood driven between the bilgeways, etc., preparatory to launching a vessel.
1884 J. Peake's Naval Archit. (ed. 5) 233 Large wedges called slices..are placed inside and outside of the bilgeways.
Compounds
slice-bar n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > furnace or kiln > furnace > parts of furnace > [noun] > furnace rakes or shovels
cole-rakec1440
slice-bar1846
fire hook1875
stoking-iron1876
coul-rake1877
stoking-rod1901
1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 285 A slice or slice bar also means a bar of iron with a sharp end, used to strip off sheathing, ceiling, etc.
1874 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 40 The straight grate-bars also clog with this coal, and the fireman has to use his slice bar liberally.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Slice-bar, a hooked poker for removing slag and cinders from grate-bars of furnaces.
slice-galley n. (see quots.).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > composing equipment > [noun] > galley
galley1652
slice-galley1875
tray-galley1896
page galley1918
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Slice-galley, a galley having a movable false bottom or slice.
1896 T. L. De Vinne in Moxon's Mech. Exerc.: Printing (new ed.) II. 407 Each compositor to make up his matter on a slice-galley.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
slicen.2
/slʌɪs/, U.S. /slaɪs/ 1. A sharp cut, a slash. rare.
ΚΠ
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Taillure,..a slice, cut, slit, slash, &c.
2. Golf and Tennis. A slicing stroke. Cf. slice v.1 5.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > golf > [noun] > types of shot or stroke
putta1754
like1790
drive1829
tee-shot1850
gobble1857
push shot1865
iron shot1870
push stroke1873
drive-off1884
slice1886
raker1888
foozle1890
hook1890
iron1890
top1890
sclaff1893
brassy shot1894
run1894
chip shot1899
chip1903
pull1903
skimmer1903
draw shot1904
brassy1906
pitch-and-run1908
windcheater1909
air shot1920
chip-in1921
explosion1924
downhiller1925
blast1927
driver1927
shank1927
socket1927
recovery1937
whiff1952
pinsplitter1961
comebacker1965
bump-and-run1981
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > racket games > lawn tennis > [noun] > types of stroke
service1611
serving1688
screw1865
cut1874
cutting service1874
boast1878
first serve1878
smash1882
twister1884
cross-shot1889
lob1890
ground stroke1895
lob ball1900
twist service1901
boasting1902
cross-volley1905
get1911
chop1913
forehander1922
kick serve1925
forehand1934
touch shot1936
dink1939
net shot1961
overhead1964
groundie1967
slice1969
moonball1975
moonballing1977
1886 H. G. Hutchinson Hints on Golf 27 The cut, or slice, is put on the ball by stretching the arms to their full length..as the club is raised [etc.].
1890 W. Simpson in H. G. Hutchinson et al. Golf (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) 200 It is not this slice, but the slice from above downwards, which causes both the high loft and the back spin with its dead fall.
1969 New Yorker 14 June 47/3 He hits a slice so hard and with such sharp placement, close to the sideline, that the ball jumps cleanly past Graebner's racquet for a service ace.
1971 R. Laver & B. Collins Educ. Tennis Player xi. 144 My slice (a left-hander's) will move to a right-hander's backhand, and that's convenient.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
slicev.1
/slʌɪs/, U.S. /slaɪs/ 1. in combination.1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. iii. 93 The winding Riuers bord'red all their banks With slice-Sea [= sea-slicing] Alders.
a. transitive. To cut into slices; to cut into or through with a sharp instrument.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > condition of being broad in relation to thickness > make broad in relation to thickness [verb (transitive)] > cut into thin flat pieces
shredc1386
slicea1475
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)] > cut into pieces > slice
slicea1475
sectionize1896
a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sloane) (1862) 43 Þenne take þy rost, and sklyce hit clene.
a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sloane) (1862) 43 Take befe and sklice hit fayre and thynne.
1551 W. Turner Herball (1568) i. 150 The roote is sliced and layd up as Scilla is.
1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares f. 35 Loe there goes the woman shall they say, that hath slyced & eaten her owne sonne.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 124 He would haue sliced his body into as many parts as there be dayes in a yeare.
1648 T. Winyard Midsummer-moone 1 Dido, with his hide, might have had ground enough for her Carthage without slicing it into leashes.
1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery ii. 51 Slice a French Roll thin, peel and slice a very large Onion, pare and slice three or four Turnips.
1769 E. Raffald Experienced Eng. House-keeper x. 236 Slice a Penny Loaf as thin as possible.
1836–9 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. II. 503/1 The coagulum is first to be sliced in thin pieces with a sharp knife.
1867 J. Hogg Microscope (ed. 6) i. iii. 213 Cells..may be made of vulcanite by slicing tubing made of this material.
1897 G. Allen Type-writer Girl xix. 205 Shops where red water-melons, sliced open,..adorn the slabs.
b. transferred and figurative.
ΚΠ
c1510 Gest Robyn Hood ccxcii Thryes Robyn shot about, And alway slist the wand.
1594 C. Marlowe & T. Nashe Dido 1181 Abourd, abourd,..And slice the Sea with sable coloured ships.
1601 J. Weever Mirror of Martyrs sig. Eiij Ship slice the sea.
1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iii. 66 Through their skin With scourges slyce't, must their bare bones be seen.
1690 T. Burnet Theory of Earth iv. v. 162 Ambitious Princes and Tyrants, that slice the Earth amongst them.
1860 W. H. Russell My Diary in India 1858–9 I. 55 Our sharp bow sliced the blue depths.
c. In colloquial phrase no matter how (or whichever way, etc.) you slice it: however you look at it. Originally and chiefly U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > assured fact, certainty > making certain, assurance > of course, certainly [phrase] > beyond question
(as) sure as ——a1413
if your cap be of wool1546
as sure as a club1584
(as) sure as a guna1640
(as) sure as God made little apples1796
you can gamble on that1862
no matter how (or whichever way, etc.) you slice it1936
that's for sure1971
1936 C. Sandburg People, Yes 160 No matter how thick or how thin you slice it it's still baloney.
1941 P. G. Wodehouse Berlin Broadcasts in Performing Flea (1961) i. 261 Slice it where you like, it is still a German prison camp.
1968 J. Sangster Touchfeather xvii. 198 Whichever way you sliced it, I had absolutely nothing on Roger Gerastan except what I had guessed.
1979 A. Hailey Overload (new ed.) iii. xii. 257 Whichever way you slice it,..Cameron Clarke has done our cause a lot of harm.
2. figurative.1608 R. Armin Nest of Ninnies sig. D1v Not sparing any price to please appetite, though the edge of it slice from the bosome of good old Abraham, very heauen it selfe.1629 Z. Boyd Last Battell Soule (new ed.) 1016 By years, dayes, and houres, our life is Continuallie cut and sklised away.1874 A. H. Sayce Princ. Compar. Philol. ii. 76 One would slice off a letter at the end of a word.
a. To cut out or off in the form of a slice or slices; to remove with a clean cut.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > by cutting
to cut outc1400
slice?1560
exsect1641
exscind1662
excide1739
snip1801
scissor1832
excise1835
outcut1860
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separation or detachment > detach [verb (transitive)] > cut off
becarveOE
carvec1000
hewc1000
shredc1275
cuta1300
chapc1325
cleavec1330
off-shearc1330
withscore1340
to cut offc1380
colea1400
slivea1400
to score awayc1400
abscisea1500
discidea1513
sharea1529
off-trenchc1530
off-hewc1540
pare1549
detrench1553
slice?1560
detrunk1566
sneck1578
resect1579
shred1580
curtail1594
off-chop1594
lop?1602
disbranch1608
abscind1610
snip1611
circumcise1613
desecate1623
discerpa1628
amputate1638
absciss1639
prescind1640
notch1820
?1560 H. Rhodes Bk. Nurture (new ed.) sig. B.i Of breade slice out fayre morsels to put into your potage.
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis i. 7 Soom doe slise owt collops on spits yeet quirilye trembling.
1607 T. Heywood Woman Kilde with Kindnesse sig. G3 Heres a knife, To saue mine honor, shall slice out my life.
1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ i. xviii. 38 They then slic'd off his Ears.
1755 T. Smollett tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote I. iv. iii. 220 That ferocious adversary of yours, whose proud head I hope to slice off.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xvi. 111 One side of the pyramid had been sliced off.
1885 Manch. Weekly Times 20 June (Suppl.) 4/3 To lay the leather face downward..and slice away the back of it with a sharp..knife.
1892 I. Zangwill Big Bow Myst. 44 A door panel sliced out and replaced was also put forward.
b. To remove by means of a slice.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > by cutting > remove by means of a slice
slice1683
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 315 He Slices the whole mass of Inck into the farthermost corner of the Inck-block.
1884 C. G. W. Lock Workshop Receipts 3rd Ser. 354/2 A workman keeps stirring the lead, and ‘slicing’, or freeing from the sides, the portions setting on them.
3.
a. intransitive. To cut cleanly or easily. Also transferred.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (intransitive)]
carve?c1225
rivec1275
shearc1275
cutc1400
racea1413
incise?1541
slash1548
slive1558
hackle1577
haggle1577
slice1606
snipa1680
chip1844
bite1849
1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iii. 73 Boats do slice, where Ploughes did slide of late.
1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 334 A Cuttan; an Indian sword which slices easily.
1853 C. Dickens Bleak House x. 90 He stands..snipping and slicing at sheepskin.
1910 Blackwood's Mag. Apr. 540/1 He watched the saw slice to the heart of a mighty spruce.
b. To use a slice or fire-shovel.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with tools or equipment > work with tools or equipment [verb (intransitive)] > other tools or equipment
filec1230
to blow the bellowsc1440
pump1508
vice1612
plane1678
shovel1685
turn1796
brake1862
pestle1866
chisel1873
roll1881
slice1893
leverage1937
monkeywrench1993
1893 Westm. Gaz. 22 Feb. 8/2 They throw coal on and slice and rake until the ship shakes beneath them.
4. transitive. To make (a way) by slicing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > [verb (transitive)] > fashion, shape, or form > form by cutting, pounding, tearing, rubbing, etc.
hewc900
smitec1275
tailc1400
carve1490
tear1597
wear1597
to work out1600
draw1610
to carve outa1616
effringe1657
shear1670
pare1708
sned1789
whittle1848
to rip up1852
slice1872
chop1874
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > move forward or advance [verb (intransitive)] > effect forward movement in specific way > in other specific ways
smell1608
to bore one's waya1705
slice1872
sing1890
nose1894
to bullock one's way1909
muscle1934
to winkle one's way1979
1872 Ld. Tennyson Gareth & Lynette 33 Knights, who sliced a red life-bubbling way Thro' twenty folds of twisted dragon.
5. Golf. To hit (the ball) in such a manner that it flies or curves off to the right. Also absol. Also in other sports, to make a sharp stroke across a ball rather than straight on it, causing it to be propelled forward at an angle (on purpose or unintentionally); in Tennis, etc., to impart spin or swing in this manner. Cf. chop v.1 7d, 7e.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > play at ball [verb (intransitive)] > hit in specific manner
bank1604
English1875
slice1890
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > [verb (transitive)] > play ball in specific way
tossc1530
send1782
place1819
dowf1825
loft1857
belt1870
screw1881
smash1882
English1884
carry1889
slice1890
mishit1903
balloon1904
rainbow1906
rifle1914
tuck1958
stroke1960
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > golf > play golf [verb (transitive)] > type of play or stroke
drive1743
draw1842
heel1857
hook1857
loft1857
founder1878
to top a ball1881
chip1889
duff1890
pull1890
slice1890
undercut1891
hack1893
toe1893
spoon1896
borrow1897
overdrive1900
trickle1902
bolt1909
niblick1909
socket1911
birdie1921
eagle1921
shank1925
explode1926
bird1930
three-putt1946
bogey1948
double-bogey1952
fade1953
1890 H. G. Hutchinson in H. G. Hutchinson et al. Golf (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) 104 It is..advisable in such circumstances..to play to slice the ball.
1890 W. Simpson in H. G. Hutchinson et al. Golf (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) 178 We slice when instead of sweeping along the line of fire, we draw the club towards ourselves across it.
1894 Times 28 Apr. 13/3 Approaching the fifth Mr. Laidlay sliced his drive.
1905 H. A. Vachell Hill xii. 255 Scaife has been transformed into a tremendous human machine, inexorably cutting and slicing, pulling and drawing.
1954 J. B. G. Thomas On Tour 68 Birt, normally the safest of place kickers, made his mark, only for the ball to be sliced towards the corner flag.
1969 New Yorker 14 June 61/2 He'll slice. He'll lob.
1976 J. Snow Cricket Rebel 63 Alan Smith..started to hit out boldly, slicing the ball repeatedly over and through the covers.
Draft additions December 2003
transitive. to slice and dice.
(a) To cut up (food) finely or thoroughly, esp. into cubes; (hence) to attack (a person) viciously with a sharp weapon, to mutilate. Also intransitive.
ΚΠ
1941 Times 20 Jan. 7/6 Cook two or three good sized potatoes... Slice and dice neatly.
1981 Washington Post (Nexis) 26 Dec. d5 Cole slices and dices with a sword, bow and arrow, sharp stars, caltrops and tegakis (don't worry what they mean—they hurt).
1991 Premiere Dec. 133/2 You just have to be tired of seeing scantily or even entirely unclad bimbos sliced and diced, flayed, bloodied, beheaded, chewed up, shot, stabbed, punctured, etc., by guys.
2002 N.Y. Times 20 Oct. f3/1 An onion is nature's idea of a tear-gas grenade... Once it is sliced and diced, cell walls are broken, and chemicals mix to form a real tear-jerker of a compound.
(b) With non-material object: to divide up or rearrange the component elements of; to analyse on a very detailed basis or in a number of different ways.
ΚΠ
1983 InfoWorld 28 Nov. 186 The personal-computer market, sliced and diced by no less than a dozen market-research companies, is supposed to grow at better than 40% a year.
1985 Life (Nexis) Feb. 19 He can slice and dice an issue eleven different ways.
1989 C. S. Murray Crosstown Traffic vii. 167 [His] ability to slice-and-dice a 4/4 beat a different way every time made him one of the most copied guitarists of the sixties.
2000 Wall St. Jrnl. 18 Sept. r36/3 The ability to slice and dice data on customers in just about any way conceivable..is a powerful incentive.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
† slicev.2
Hawking. Obsolete.
1. intransitive. Of birds: To mute, so that the fæces are ejected to some distance. Also transferred.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > actions or bird defined by > [verb (intransitive)] > excrete
slicec1450
mutea1475
mutessa1475
spice1682
c1450 Bk. Hawking in T. Wright & J. O. Halliwell Reliquiæ Antiquæ (1845) I. 296 Ye schull say that your hawke mutith and not sclisith.
1486 Bk. St. Albans, Hawking a vj b Ye shall say yowre hawke mutessith or mutith and not sklysith.
1575 G. Turberville Bk. Faulconrie 61 A greene seere of hir foote,..large panell, and able to slyse farre from hir when she mewteth.
1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique vii. xliii. 873 Porkes flesh giuen them warme with a little aloes maketh the bird loose and to slice out readily.
1651 T. Fuller Abel Redevivus 226 As the Herneshaw when unable by maine strength to grapple with the Hawke doth Slice upon her.
1710 True Acct. Last Distemper T. Whigg i. 5 The Criminal had sliced immoderately on the Sign of the Old Bishop's Head in Lambeth.
2. transitive. To eject in muting.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > actions or bird defined by > [verb (transitive)] > excrete
mutea1529
slice1628
1628 G. Wither Britain's Remembrancer 3 Our Herneshawes, slicing backward filth on those, Whose worths they dare not openly oppose.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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