slowpoke

American  

[sloh-pohk] / ˈsloʊˌpoʊk /

noun

Informal.

slowpokes plural

1. a person who makes slow progress.

   Synonyms:

   slug, dallier, dawdler, laggard

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slowpoke British  

/ ˈsləʊˌpəʊk /

noun

1. informal the usual US and Canadian word for slowcoach

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• slowpokes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of slowpoke

First recorded in 1915–20; slow + poke ¹

Explanation

If it takes a long time for you to act or move, you're a slowpoke. Being a slowpoke is a real disadvantage when you're running in a 50 yard dash. The informal slowpoke is a good one to use when your little brother is lagging behind, slowing everyone down: "Hurry up, slowpoke!" In the UK, the equivalent word is slowcoach, which makes sense if you think of a stagecoach moving slowly. The poke part of slowpoke comes from a rare meaning, "a device attached to pigs and sheep to keep them from escaping," and is also the root of pokey, or "slow."

Example Sentences

But if your heart is a slowpoke the rest of the time, your health could be at risk.

From Washington Post • Feb. 6, 2022

Jones, the first-round draft pick, had trouble hanging onto the ball at times, but he had a strong arm and was no slowpoke, like Manning.

From The Guardian • Dec. 30, 2019

Gov. Newsom kept her on as leader of a “strike team” to reform the slowpoke Department of Motor Vehicles.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2019

And what is with all the slowpoke drivers in town with “Oregon” license plates?

From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2019

The work was hot and dry and as monotonous as the maddening, slowpoke motion of the pumpjacks themselves.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger