SL Thành ngữ, tục ngữ
a hassle
a problem, a bother The tax form is a hassle this year. It's difficult to understand.
a slim chance
very little chance, not likely to happen """Is it going to rain today?"" ""Maybe. There's a slim chance."""
a slip of the tongue
a spoken error or mistake, a word that slips out I said brew instead of blue. It was a slip of the tongue.
a slippery slope
a path that leads to problems, a risky plan Nationalism is a slippery slope. It often leads to racism.
a slow day
not productive, not many customers Tuesday is a slow day in the car market - very few sales.
a slug
a group, a bunch A slug of bats hung from a rock jutting out of the cave's ceiling.
an ace up your sleeve
an important card to play, an important fact to reveal To survive, one needs an ace up one's sleeve - a special talent.
any way you slice it
(See no matter how you slice it)
as slow as a dead snail
unbeatable in slowness He writes as slow as a dead snail, only a word or two per day!
as slow as molasses in January
only a dead snail is slower The building approached its completion as slow as molasses in January.
asleep at the switch
not alert to an opportunity I think he was asleep at the switch. He didn
card up one's sleeve
another plan or argument saved for later I thought that the negotiations would be unsuccessful but my boss had another card up his sleeve that we didn't know about.
clotheslined (hockey)
lifted by a bodycheck, hanging in the air Orr was clotheslined just as he crossed the line. What a check!
cut me some slack
give me more time, give me more freedom You may be asking too much of your son. Cut him some slack.
ESL
English as a Second Language The ESL classes at the college have been held for almost ten years now.
fall asleep
begin to sleep, drop off Don't fall asleep while we're in church. It's embarrassing.
give him the slip
leave him, ditch him We gave him the slip while he was in the washroom.
give someone the slip
escape from someone The bank robbers were able to give the police the slip at first but they were soon caught.
grand slam
a home run with runners on all bases, a major score It was 5-1. Then Carter hit a grand slam and tied the game, 5-5.
hassle
(See a hassle)
hassle me
bother me, bug me, give me a bad time If you hassle me about my kinky hair, I'll cut it all off.
in a slump
not performing well for several days Wayne's in a slump. He hasn't scored a point in four games.
in the slammer
in jail, in prison Marv's been in the slammer four times. He knows prison life.
it's been a slice (of life)
it has been an experience, it has been interesting "On the last day of work, Pam said, ""It's been a slice, Mag."""
laugh up your sleeve
laugh secretly at someone, behind your back He tried to please her, unaware she was laughing up her sleeve.
let sleeping dogs lie
don
mudsling
insult, criticize The Liberal leader lost my vote when he began mudslinging.
no matter how you slice it
it does not matter how you look at it No matter how you slice it, we have to hire more help.
no slouch
quite skilled or talented, not half bad Cora doesn't brag, but she's no slouch when it comes to tennis.
on the sly
secretly, illegally Phil was selling cigarettes to his friends on the sly.
piece/slice of the action
a share in the activity or the profits of something The inventor wanted a large piece of the action of the profits from the new computer that he had invented.
pink slip
dismissal notice from a job He received his pink slip yesterday and no longer has a job.
put a different slant on it
change the way you see it, change your view, put things in perspective If you called the police because you thought I needed help, that puts a different slant on it.
rolling in the aisles
laughing so hard they fall out of their chairs Robin Williams made us laugh. We were rolling in the aisles.
slackass
lazy person, lazy bones Larry, you slackass, get over here and help us load the truck!
slam
criticize, insult, knock, put down The newspaper article slammed the government for being slow to help the flood victims.
slap in the face
an insult Not getting a promotion was a real slap in the face for her.
slap together
make in a hurry and without care We slapped together a picnic table for the company picnic.
slash and burn
reduce and cut programs without care or mercy To save money, the Government used slash-and-burn policies.
sleep a wink
get a moment
sleep around
sleep with and make love to many partners Harry was sleeping around before his wife divorced him.
sleep in
sleep until late in the morning Don't call me until after lunch tomorrow. I'm going to sleep in.
sleep it off
sleep until you are sober, sleep until you feel normal """That medicine made me drowsy."" ""Go to bed and sleep it off."""
sleep on it
think about something, consider, decide later I will have to sleep on it tonight but I will give you an answer tomorrow.
sleeper
ordinary device with surprising skill or power The Taurus SHO was a sleeper. It looked slow, but it was fast!
sleepy head
a child who is tired or sleepy Go to bed, sleepy head. I'll see you in the morning.
slim chance
(See a slim chance)
slimebucket
"crude, immoral person; scumbag" Only a slimebucket - a pervert - would molest a child.
slip
become lower, lose ground My grades slipped last semester. My average dropped from B to C.
slip a notch
be less skilful, not perform as well After the age of 30, your physical skills may slip a notch or two.
about-sledge /ə'baut,sledʤ/