slack water

American  

noun

1. a period when a body of water is between tides.

2. water that is free of currents.

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slack water British  

noun

1. the period of still water around the turn of the tide, esp at low tide

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Etymology

Origin of slack water

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slack water

Prospectors’ eyes are trained to look for opportunity: Eddies, abrupt shifts in direction caused by downed trees, and slack water “drop-out zones,” where gold, 19 times heavier than water, will fall as flow slows.

From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023

Olys are picky about where they live, preferring slack water and areas fed by creeks and streams.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 22, 2019

However, the time of slack water was before sunrise, so the crew accomplished this feat half asleep.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 26, 2017

To make all this more manageable, ships the size of the T Roosevelt have only been cleared to enter Kill Van Kull within an hour of slack water, when the tidal stream is most calm.

From New York Times ● Sep. 6, 2017

His arms felt drained, and he wasn’t sure he could make them do what he wanted them to do when the slack water came.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt