Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense slugs, present participle slugging, past tense, past participle slugged
1. countable noun
A slug is a small slow-moving creature with a long soft body and no legs, like a snail without a shell.
2. countable noun
If you take a slugof an alcoholic drink, you take a large mouthful of it.
[informal]
Edgar took a slug of his drink. [+ of]
3. verb
If you slug someone, you hit them hard.
[informal]
She slugged her right in the face. [VERB noun]
He felt as if he had been slugged by a piece of lead pipe. [VERB noun]
4. countable noun
A slug is a bullet.
[mainly US, informal]
5.
See slug it out
slug in British English1
(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 ▶ Related adjective: limacine
2.
any of various other invertebrates having a soft slimy body, esp the larvae of certain sawflies
3. informal, mainly US and Canadian
a slow-moving or lazy person or animal
Word origin
C15 (in the sense: a slow person or animal): probably of Scandinavian origin; compareNorwegian (dialect) sluggje
slug in British English2
(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. mainly US and Canadian
a metal token for use in slot machines, etc
5. printing
a.
a thick strip of type metal that is less than type-high and is used for spacing
b.
a similar strip carrying a type-high letter, used as a temporary mark by compositors
c.
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
Word origin
C17 (bullet), C19 (printing): perhaps from slug1, with allusion to the shape of the animal
slug in British English3
(slʌɡ)
verbWord forms: slugs, slugging or slugged
1.
to hit very hard and solidly, as in boxing
2. (intransitive) US and Canadian
to plod as if through snow
3. (transitive) Australian and New Zealand informal
to charge (someone) an exorbitant price
4. slug it out
noun
5.
an act of slugging; heavy blow
6. Australian and New Zealand informal
an exorbitant charge or price
Word origin
C19: perhaps from slug2 (bullet)
slug in American English1
(slʌg)
noun
1.
any of a large number of small, gastropod mollusks, esp. the ones resembling a landsnail, but having only a rudimentary internal shell buried in the mantle
2.
a smooth, soft moth (family Eucleidae) or sawfly larva, resembling a slug
3.
a person, vehicle, etc. that moves sluggishly
Word origin
ME slugge, slow, clumsy person or thing < Scand, as in Swed dial. slogga, to be sluggish < IE base *(s)leu-, to hang loosely, lax > sludge
slug in American English2
(slʌg)
noun
1.
a small piece or lump of metal; specif., a bullet
2. US
a piece of metal shaped like and used in place of a coin in automatic coin machines; esp., such a substitute coin when used illegally
3. US, Printing
a.
a strip of metal used to add space between lines of type
b.
a line of type made in one piece or strip, as by a linotype machine
c.
a short heading, often a single word, indicating the subject of copy
4. Physics
a unit of mass, equal to c. 14.6 kg (c. 32.2 lb), to which a force of one pound imparts an acceleration of one foot per second per second
verb transitiveWord forms: slugged or ˈslugging
5. Printing
to insert (a slug) between lines
Word origin
prob. < slug1
slug in American English3
(slʌg)
noun
Slang
a single drink, esp. of straight alcoholic liquor
Word origin
prob. < Dan sluge, to gulp; akin to Ger schlucken, to swallow < IE base *(s)leug- > OIr slucim, (I) swallow
slug in American English4
(slʌg)
verb transitiveWord forms: slugged or ˈslugging
1. Informal
to hit hard, esp. with the fist or a bat
noun
2. Informal
a hard blow or hit
Word origin
< dial. (Shetland) slog, slag, a blow < ON slag, akin to OE slean, to strike: see slay