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

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

From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2019

Temperatures climbed in the slack water pools behind the Columbia River to the point where an estimated 250,000 sockeye salmon died before they could reach their spawning grounds.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 21, 2019

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

From Washington Post • Sep. 26, 2017

It was 4:30 a.m., the air as still as slack water: a great time to be in Panama City.

From New York Times • Sep. 12, 2013

That there was slack water immediately below the bridge, with a low, shelving bank where they could get out easily?

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams