v. & n.
--v. (past and past part. slid)
1. a intr. move along a smooth surface with continuous contact on the same part of the thing moving (cf. ROLL). b tr. cause to do this (slide the drawer into place).
2 intr. move quietly; glide; go smoothly along.
3 intr. pass gradually or imperceptibly.
4 intr. glide over ice on one or both feet without skates (under gravity or with momentum got by running).
5 intr. (foll. by over) barely touch upon (a delicate subject etc.).
6 intr. & tr. (often foll. by into) move or cause to move quietly or unobtrusively (slid his hand into mine).
7 intr. take its own course (let it slide).
--n.
1. a the act or an instance of sliding. b a rapid decline.
2 an inclined plane down which children, goods, etc., slide; a chute.
3 a a track made by or for sliding, esp. on ice. b a slope prepared with snow or ice for tobogganing.
4 a part of a machine or instrument that slides, esp. a slide-valve.
5 a a thing slid into place, esp. a piece of glass holding an object for a microscope. b a mounted transparency usu. placed in a projector for viewing on a screen.
6 Brit. hair-slide.
7 a part or parts of a machine on or between which a sliding part works.
Phrases and idioms:
let things slide be negligent; allow deterioration. slide fastener US a zip-fastener. slide-rule a ruler with a sliding central strip, graduated logarithmically for making rapid calculations, esp. multiplication and division. slide-valve a sliding piece that opens and closes an aperture by sliding across it. sliding door a door drawn across an aperture on a slide, not turning on hinges. sliding keel Naut. a centreboard. sliding roof a part of a roof (esp. in a motor car) made able to slide and so form an aperture. sliding scale a scale of fees, taxes, wages, etc., that varies as a whole in accordance with variation of some standard. sliding seat a seat able to slide to and fro on runners etc., esp. in a racing-boat to adjust the length of a stroke.
Derivatives:
slidable adj. slidably adv. slider n.
Etymology: OE slidan