slicker

[ slik-er ]

/ ˈslɪk ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slicker ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a long, loose oilskin raincoat.

any raincoat.

Informal.

a swindler; a sly cheat.
city slicker.

Nearby words

Origin of slicker

First recorded in 1880–85; slick¹ + -er¹

Related formsslick·ered, adjective

slicker

[ slik-er ]

/ ˈslɪk ər /

noun

a tool, usually of stone or glass, for scraping, smoothing, and working tanning agents into a skin or hide.

Origin of slicker

First recorded in 1850–55; slick² + -er¹

slick

[ slik ]

/ slɪk /

adjective, slick·er, slick·est.

smooth and glossy; sleek.

smooth in manners, speech, etc.; suave.

sly; shrewdly adroit: He's a slick customer, all right.

ingenious; cleverly devised: a slick plan to get out of work.

slippery, especially from being covered with or as if with ice, water, or oil.

deftly executed and having surface appeal or sophistication, but shallow or glib in content; polished but superficial; glib: a writer who has mastered every formula of slick fiction.

Slang. wonderful; remarkable; first-rate.

noun

a smooth or slippery place or spot or the substance causing it: oil slick.

Informal.

a magazine printed on paper having a more or less glossy finish.
such a magazine regarded as possessing qualities, as expensiveness, chic, and sophistication, that hold appeal for a particular readership, as one whose members enjoy or are seeking affluence.
such a magazine regarded as having a sophisticated, deftly executed, but shallow or glib literary content.Compare pulp(def 6).

any of various paddlelike tools for smoothing a surface.

Automotive. a wide tire without a tread, used in racing.

Military Slang. a helicopter.

adverb

smoothly; cleverly.

Origin of slick

1300–50; Middle English slike (adj.); cognate with dialectal Dutch sleek even, smooth; akin to slick²

SYNONYMS FOR slick

3. wily, tricky, foxy, sharp.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slick ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsslick·ly, adverbslick·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for slicker

Out went the underground graphics; in came a cleaner, slicker style.
Doug Kenney: The Odd Comic Genius Behind ‘Animal House’ and National Lampoon|Robert Sam Anson|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The older, slicker Biden, with four years of veep-hood under his belt, had some gifts handed to him on a platter.
Joe Biden Beat Paul Ryan, But Veep Debate Was a Mediocre Snoozefest|Tunku Varadarajan|October 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The idea was to remake it in a slicker and, of course, more costly version.
The Next Blair Witch?|Kim Masters|October 6, 2009|DAILY BEAST
She had left her slicker in the camp and now she wished fervently she had let it remain rolled behind her saddle.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O|Clair Blank

In the height of the rainstorm, he was seen to don his slicker, and hurry out into the storm.
Conscript 2989|Irving Crump
I will take you to her, Justin promised, as he tore the blankets and slicker from behind the saddle.
Justin Wingate, Ranchman|John H. Whitson
A poncho is preferable to a slicker, because of the many uses to which it may be put.
Packing and Portaging|Dillon Wallace
It's full of pointers, and a slicker bit of evidence it would be hard to find.
Motor Matt's Air Ship|Stanley R. Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for slicker

slicker

/ (ˈslɪkə) /

noun

informal a sly or untrustworthy person (esp in the phrase city slicker)

US and Canadian a shiny raincoat, esp an oilskin

a small trowel used for smoothing the surfaces of a mould

Derived Formsslickered, adjective

slick

/ (slɪk) /

adjective

flattering and gliba slick salesman

adroitly devised or executeda slick show

informal, mainly US and Canadian shrewd; sly

informal superficially attractivea slick publication

mainly US and Canadian smooth and glossy; slippery

noun

a slippery area, esp a patch of oil floating on water

a chisel or other tool used for smoothing or polishing a surface

the tyre of a racing car that has worn treads

verb (tr)

mainly US and Canadian to make smooth or sleek

US and Canadian informal (usually foll by up) to smarten or tidy (oneself)

(often foll by up) to make smooth or glossy

Derived Formsslickly, adverbslickness, noun

Word Origin for slick

C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Icelandic, Norwegian slikja to be or make smooth

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slicker

slicker

1851, "tool for smoothing leather," from slick (v.). Meaning "waterproof raincoat" is from 1884; sense of "clever and crafty person" is from 1900.

slick

Old English -slician (in nigslicod "newly made sleek"), from Proto-Germanic *slikojan, from base *slikaz (cf. Old Norse slikr "smooth," Old High German slihhan "to glide," German schleichen "to creep, crawl, sneak," Dutch slijk "mud, mire"), from PIE *sleig- "to smooth, glide, be muddy," from root *(s)lei- "slimy" (see slime (n.)). Related: Slicked; slicking.

slick

1620s, a kind of cosmetic, from slick (v.). Meaning "smooth place on the surface of water caused by oil, etc." is attested from 1849. Meaning "a swindler, clever person" is attested from 1959.

slick

adj.

early 14c., "smooth, glossy, sleek" (of skin or hair); sense of "clever in deception" is first recorded 1590s; that of "first-class, excellent" is from 1833. Related: Slickly; slickness.

slicker

noun

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Origin of slicker

slicker

noun

Origin of slicker

slick

adjective, slick·er, slick·est.

noun

adverb

Origin of slick

Examples from the Web for slicker

slicker

noun

slick

adjective

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for slick

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