slice

noun

/slaɪs/

Idioms

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a thin flat piece of bread, meat, cheese, etc. that has been cut off a larger piece; a piece of cake that has been cut from a larger cake
- Cut the meat into thin slices.
- slice of something a slice of bread/pie
- a slice of toast/pizza
- Another slice of cake, anyone?
Extra Examples
- a gin and tonic with a slice of lemon
- The sausage is also sold pre-packed in slices.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- big
- generous
- great
- …
verb + slice
- cut
- eat
preposition
- in slices
- slice of
phrases
- cut something into slices
See full entry
(informal) a part or share of something
- Our firm is well placed to grab a large slice of the market.
- The rent for my room was a large slice out of my budget.
- With this win, they can claim a slice of history.
- Every organization in the land has tried to claim a slice of the cash from the National Lottery.
Extra Examples
- He needed a large slice of luck to win the game.
- The agency takes a large slice of the profits.
- They spend a fair slice of the budget on research and development.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- big
- huge
- large
- …
verb + slice
- carve
- carve out
- get
- …
preposition
- slice of
phrases
- a slice of life
- a slice of the action
- a slice of the pie
- …
See full entry
enlarge image
a kitchen utensil (= tool) that you use to lift and serve pieces of food
- a cake slice
see also fish slice
(sport) (in golf, tennis, etc.) a shot that makes the ball go to one side rather than straight ahead, while turning round and roundTopics Sports: ball and racket sportsc2

Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘fragment, splinter’): shortening of Old French esclice ‘splinter’, from the verb esclicier, of Germanic origin; related to German schleissen ‘to slice’, also to slit.

Idioms

a slice/piece of the action

(informal) a share or role in an interesting or exciting activity, especially one that makes money
- Foreign firms will all want a slice of the action if the new airport goes ahead.

a slice of life

a film, play or book that gives a very realistic view of ordinary life
- This drama provides a slice of life in 1950s Connecticut.

a slice/piece/share of the pie

(British English also a slice/share of the cake)

a share of the available money or benefits that you believe you have a right to
- The company is demanding a larger slice of the corporate pie.

slice

verb

/slaɪs/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they slice	/slaɪs/ /slaɪs/
he / she / it slices	/ˈslaɪsɪz/ /ˈslaɪsɪz/
past simple sliced	/slaɪst/ /slaɪst/
past participle sliced	/slaɪst/ /slaɪst/
-ing form slicing	/ˈslaɪsɪŋ/ /ˈslaɪsɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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[transitive] slice something (up) to cut something into slices
- to slice (up) onions
- Slice the cucumber thinly.
- Add a few very thinly sliced red onions.
- a sliced loaf
- sliced bread
- Trim the leeks and finely slice them.
- Add 6 hot dogs sliced into pieces.
Collocations Cooking
CookingPreparing
- prepare a dish/a meal/a menu/dinner/the fish
- weigh out 100g/4oz of sugar/the ingredients
- wash/rinse the lettuce/spinach/watercress
- chop/slice/dice the carrots/onions/potatoes
- peel the carrots/onion/potatoes/garlic/orange
- grate a carrot/the cheese/some nutmeg
- remove/discard the bones/seeds/skin
- blend/combine/mix (together) the flour and water/all the ingredients
- beat/whisk the cream/eggs/egg whites
- knead/shape/roll (out) the dough
Cooking
- heat the oil in a frying pan
- preheat/heat the oven/(British English) the grill/(North American English) the broiler
- bring to (British English) the boil/(North American English) a boil
- stir constantly/gently with a wooden spoon
- reduce the heat
- simmer gently for 20 minutes/until reduced by half
- melt the butter/chocolate/cheese/sugar
- brown the meat for 8–20 minutes
- drain the pasta/the water from the pot/in a colander
- mash the potatoes/banana/avocado
Ways of cooking
- cook food/fish/meat/rice/pasta/a Persian dish
- bake (a loaf of) bread/a cake/(especially North American English) cookies/(British English) biscuits/a pie/potatoes/fish/scones/muffins
- boil cabbage/potatoes/an egg/water
- fry/deep-fry/stir-fry the chicken/vegetables
- grill meat/steak/chicken/sausages/a hot dog
- roast potatoes/peppers/meat/chicken/lamb
- sauté garlic/mushrooms/onions/potatoes/vegetables
- steam rice/vegetables/spinach/asparagus/dumplings
- toast bread/nuts
- microwave food/popcorn/(British English) a ready meal
Serving
- serve in a glass/on a bed of rice/with potatoes
- arrange the slices on a plate/in a layer
- carve the meat/lamb/chicken/turkey
- dress/toss a salad
- dress with/drizzle with olive oil/vinaigrette
- top with a slice of lemon/a scoop of ice cream/whipped cream/syrup
- garnish with a sprig of parsley/fresh basil leaves/lemon wedges/a slice of lime/a twist of orange
- sprinkle with salt/sugar/herbs/parsley/freshly ground black pepper
see also salami slicing
Extra Examples
- Slice up the mushrooms and fry them.
- Thickly slice the potatoes.
Topics Cooking and eatingb1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- finely
- thinly
- thickly
- …
preposition
- into
- off
- through
- …
phrases
- slice something in half
- slice something in two
See full entry
[intransitive, transitive] to cut something easily with or as if with a sharp knife
- + adv./prep. He accidentally sliced through his finger.
- A piece of glass sliced into his shoulder.
- (figurative) Her speech sliced through all the confusion surrounding the situation.
- slice something (+ adj.) He sliced the fruit open.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- finely
- thinly
- thickly
- …
preposition
- into
- off
- through
- …
phrases
- slice something in half
- slice something in two
See full entry
[transitive] slice something (sport) to hit a ball so that it turns round and round and does not move in the expected direction
- He managed to slice a shot over the net.
[transitive] slice something (in golf ) to hit the ball so that it flies away in a curve to the right (if you are right-handed) or left (if you are left-handed), when you do not mean to
[transitive] slice something (North American English, informal) to reduce something by a large amount
- The new tax has sliced annual bonuses by 30 percent.

Idioms

any way you slice it

(North American English, informal) however you choose to look at a situation

slice and dice (something)

(computing) to divide information into small parts in order to study it more closely or to see it in different ways
- The software lets you slice and dice the data and display it in different formats.
- Once you enter the budget, you can slice and dice it in the same way as sales information.
More Like This Rhyming pairs in idioms
Rhyming pairs in idioms
- doom and gloom
- fair and square
- high and dry
- huff and puff
- name and shame
- slice and dice
- thrills and spills
- wear and tear
- wheel and deal
- wine and dine