Word
slag
US/ˈsɫæɡ/
UK/slˈæɡ/
Definitions
01industrial waste
n. the waste material that is left over after metal has been removed from rock.
n. the stony waste matter separated from metals during the smelting or refining of ore.
“The old factory was surrounded by huge piles of black slag left over from the steel production.”
“Road builders often use crushed slag as a base material because of its durability and the way it compacts under heavy loads.”
Technical
Usage
Uncountable when referring to the material generally; countable when referring to specific types or deposits.
Synonyms
02insult for a person
n. a very rude and offensive word for someone, usually a woman, who is thought to have many sexual partners.
n. a highly derogatory and vulgar term for a person perceived as promiscuous; occasionally used as a general term of contempt.
“He got into a fight after calling the girl a slag in front of her friends.”
“The tabloid was criticised for using gendered insults like 'slag' to describe the actress's private life.”
British English · Slang · Vulgar
Teaching tip
This is a severe insult in British English. It is almost exclusively used in the UK and Ireland and is considered highly offensive and sexist.
03to criticise someone
v. to say unkind or critical things about someone, especially when they are not there.
v. to criticise or malign someone in a harsh or mocking way; frequently appears in the phrasal form 'slag off'.
“It is not fair to slag him off just because he made one mistake.”
“The two comedians spent the entire podcast slagging off their former agent for his lack of professional ethics.”
British English · Informal
Usage
Usually transitive, requiring an object. In British English, 'slag off' is the most common idiomatic form.
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“At the same time, industry generates vast quantities of silicon-rich waste, including coal ash residue, red mud, mine tailings, concrete debris, waste glass, and metallurgical slag.” “Anyway, I looked it up on Amazon, everyone was slagging it off, ‘This book ruined my life.” Etymology
Borrowed from Middle Low German slagge, slaggen (“slag, dross”), from Old Saxon slaggo, from Proto-West Germanic slaggō, from Proto-Germanic slaggô, from Proto-Germanic slagōną (“to strike”) + -gô (diminutive suffix). Compare Middle Low German slāgen (“to strike”), since originally the splinters struck off from the metal by hammering, from slagōn, from Proto-West Germanic slagōn. Compare also Old Saxon slegi, from Proto-West Germanic slagi. See also Dutch slak, German Schlacke, Swedish slagg; also compare English slay.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/slag