It’s not really back, but, wahey, I have a word of my week that keeps trailing its feet through my mind.
- SLEW
verb – turn or slide violently; change direction sharply
<much adjectives very annoyingness>
noun – a large group of (archaic); also, the noun of the verb, sliding movement
Also, the past perfect of slay.
I should actually have put the noun first, since that is what originated first, from ‘sluagh‘, an Irish word meaning crowd or multitude. Estimated time of conception: 1840s
As well as its English homograms, I have other fun rather homophonic words that pop into my mind when I write and think of slew.
Sluice – irrigate with water from a conduit; sleigh – always a fun one: that little wooden vehicle for over snow, also known as ‘sledge’ (though it can be debated whether there is difference between the two of them).
Have a good rest of the day. A
Alexandrina Brant 