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Offhand vs Slack - What's the difference?

offhand | slack | Related terms |

As adjectives the difference between offhand and slack

is that offhand is without planning or thinking ahead while slack is lax; not tense; not hard drawn; not firmly extended.

As adverbs the difference between offhand and slack

is that offhand is right away, immediately, without thinking about it while slack is slackly.

As a noun slack is

small coal; coal dust.

As a verb slack is

to slacken.

offhand

English

Alternative forms

* off-hand

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • without planning or thinking ahead
    • She gave an offhand speech.
  • careless; without sufficient thought or consideration
    • He doesn't realise how hurtful his offhand remarks can be.
  • curt, abrupt, unfriendly
    • She was quite offhand with me yesterday.

    Synonyms

    * (without planning) impromptu, extemporaneous, off-the-cuff; see also

    See also

    * off the top of one's head

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • right away, immediately, without thinking about it
  • * Offhand , I'd guess that that's a yellow-bellied sapsucker.
  • * 1854:' William Makepeace Thackeray, ''The Rose and the Ring'' - We will have no more of this shilly-shallying! Call the Archbishop, and let the Prince and Princess be married ' offhand !
  • in an offhand manner

    • Anagrams

    *

    slack

    English

    Noun

  • (uncountable) Small coal; coal dust.
    • (Raymond)
  • (countable) A valley, or small, shallow dell.
  • (uncountable) The part of anything that hangs loose, having no strain upon it.
    • The slack of a rope or of a sail.
  • (countable) A tidal marsh or shallow, that periodically fills and drains.

    • Synonyms

    * culm * (tidal marsh) slough

    Derived terms

    * (coal dust) nutty slack

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Lax; not tense; not hard drawn; not firmly extended.
    • a slack rope
  • Weak; not holding fast.
    • a slack hand
  • Remiss; backward; not using due diligence or care; not earnest or eager.
    • slack in duty or service
  • * Bible, 2 Peter iii. 9
    • The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness.
  • Not violent, rapid, or pressing.
    • Business is slack .
  • * {{quote-book, year=1928, author=Lawrence R. Bourne
    • , title=Well Tackled! , chapter=3 citation , passage=“They know our boats will stand up to their work,” said Willison, “and that counts for a good deal. A low estimate from us doesn't mean scamped work, but just for that we want to keep the yard busy over a slack time.”}}
  • (slang, West Indies) vulgar; sexually explicit, especially in dancehall music

    • Synonyms

    * slow, moderate, easy

    Derived terms

    * slack-jawed

    Adverb

    (-)
  • Slackly.
    • slack dried hops

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To slacken.
  • * Robert South
    • In this business of growing rich, poor men should slack their pace.
  • (obsolete) To mitigate; to reduce the strength of.
  • * 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , III.7:
    • Ne did she let dull sleepe once to relent, / Nor wearinesse to slack her hast, but fled / Ever alike [...].
  • to procrastinate; to be lazy
  • to refuse to exert effort
  • To lose cohesion or solidity by a chemical combination with water; to slake.
    • Lime slacks .

    Derived terms

    * skive off

    Anagrams

    * *