slug

noun

/slʌɡ/

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a small, soft creature, like a snail without a shell, that moves very slowly and often eats garden plantsTopics Insects, worms, etc.c2, Gardensc2
(informal) a small amount of a strong alcoholic drink
- He took another slug of whisky.
(especially North American English, informal) a bullet
(North American English, informal) a piece of metal like a coin in shape used to get things from machines, etc., sometimes illegally

Word Originnoun late Middle English (in the sense ‘sluggard’): probably of Scandinavian origin; compare with Norwegian dialect slugg ‘large heavy body’. Sense 1 dates from the early 18th cent.

slug

verb

/slʌɡ/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they slug	/slʌɡ/ /slʌɡ/
he / she / it slugs	/slʌɡz/ /slʌɡz/
past simple slugged	/slʌɡd/ /slʌɡd/
past participle slugged	/slʌɡd/ /slʌɡd/
-ing form slugging	/ˈslʌɡɪŋ/ /ˈslʌɡɪŋ/

Idioms

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slug somebody (informal) to hit somebody hard, especially with your closed hand
- I slugged him in the face.
slug something (in baseball) to hit the ball hard

Word Originverb mid 19th cent.: of unknown origin; compare with the verb slog.

Idioms

slug it out

to fight or compete until it is clear who has won