slash
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to make a long, deep cut with a knife or another sharp object using a quick, swinging motion.
v.to cut with a forceful, sweeping stroke of a sharp instrument.
Simple“The thief slashed the canvas of the painting to remove it from the frame.”
In context“Vandals had slashed the tyres of several vehicles parked along the quiet residential street overnight.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to reduce something, like prices or costs, by a large amount very quickly.
v.to reduce prices, costs, or quantities drastically and often suddenly.
Simple“The shop slashed its prices by fifty percent to attract more customers before closing.”
In context“The government announced plans to slash public spending in an effort to reduce the national deficit before the next election cycle.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.the slanted line (/) used in writing to separate words, numbers, or options.
n.the virgule or solidus symbol (/) used to indicate alternatives, ratios, or to separate components in a web address.
Simple“You need to put a slash between the day and the month when writing the date.”
In context“The forward slash is a standard delimiter in file paths for many operating systems and web protocols.”
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
n.a very informal way to say you need to go to the toilet.
n.an act of urination; highly informal and typically restricted to British English.
Simple“He had to stop at the petrol station because he really needed a slash.”
In context“After several pints at the pub, he went looking for the toilets to have a quick slash before the long walk home.”
UsageUsually used with the verb 'have' or 'take'.
- 05 C1 Advanced
n.stories written by fans that focus on romantic relationships between two male characters.
n.a genre of fan fiction focused on romantic or sexual relationships between fictional characters of the same sex, typically male.
Simple“She spent the weekend reading slash about her favourite sci-fi characters.”
In context“The online community became a hub for writers producing slash based on the popular television series.”
Teacher's tipThis term is specific to internet subcultures and fan communities; it may be unfamiliar to general English speakers.
Synonymsfanfic
“One of the most worrying aspects, say families and carers, is the plan to slash funding for social participation by up to 50%.”
“There are also targets to slash packaging waste in the bloc by five percent by 2030 and 15 percent by 2040, compared with the amount in 2018.”
Late Middle English, originally a verb of uncertain etymology. Perhaps of imitative origin, or possibly from Old French esclachier (“to break in pieces”), a variant of esclater, which is likely a Germanic borrowing, from Frankish *slaitan (“to slit, tear”). Used in the Wycliffe Bible as slascht (see 1 Kings 5:18) but otherwise unattested until 16th century. Conjunctive use from various applications of the punctuation mark ⟨/⟩. See also slash fiction.
Uncertain. Compare Scots slash (“large splash”), possibly from Old French esclache. Slang use for urination attested from the 1950s.
Uncertain. Compare British dialectal slashy (“wet and dirty, miry”) and Scots slash (“act of walking forcefully through water or mud”) and slatch (“wet and muddy place, mire”). Perhaps related to Swedish slask (“slush”). Compare also slash (“clearing in a forest”): in many cases it is difficult to tell whether that sense or this one is meant. (Also compare flash (“a marsh; a pool of water”).)
See slatch
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.