Chapter Sleave to Slubber-Degullion of S by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Sloane MSS 3,560 MSS. collected by Sir Hans Sloane, now in the British Museum. The museum of Sir Hans formed the basis of the British Museum. (1660-1753.)

Slogan A war-cry, a Scotch gathering-cry. (Anglo-Saxon, sleán, to fight, pret. slog; Gaelic, sluagh- gairm, an army-yell.)

Slop (Dr.). A choleric physician in Sterne's Tristram Shandy.
   Dr. Slop. Sir John Stoddart, M.D., a choleric physician who assailed Napoleon most virulently in The Times, of which he was editor. (1773-1856.)

Slops (The) The police; originally “ecilop.”

“I dragged you in here and saved you,
And sent out a gal for the slops;
Ha! they're a comin', sir! Listen!
The noise and the shoutin' stops.”
Sims: Ballads of Babylon (The Matron's Story).

Slopard (Dame). The wife of Grimbard, the brock (or badger), in the tale of Reynard the Fox.

Slope (1 syl.). To decamp; to run away.

Slough of Despond A deep bog which Christian has to cross in order to get to the Wicket Gate. Help comes to his aid. Neighbour Pliable went with Christian as far as the Slough, and then turned back again. (Bunyan: Pilgrim's Progress, part i.)

Slow Stupid, dull. A “quick boy” is one who is sharp and active. Awfully slow, slang for very stupid and dull.

Slow Coach A dawdle. As a slow coach in the old coaching-days “got on” slowly, so one that “gets on” slowly is a slow coach.

Slubber-Degullion A nasty, paltry fellow. A slub is a roll of wool drawn out and only slightly twisted; hence to slubber, to twist loosely, to do things by halves, to perform a work carelessly. Degullion is compounded of the word “gull,” or the Cornish “gullan,” a simpleton.

“Quoth she, `Although thou hast deserved,
Base slubber-degullion, to be served
As thou didst vow to deal with me.”
Butler: Hudibras, i. 3.