Slabby

adj, noun, slang

adj, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A worker who deals with timber in the form of slabs. New-Zealand, informal

    "The employer shall supply the sawyer and tailer-out at breast bench, workers operating goose-saws, and slabbies with suitable leather aprons for use while so employed. When requested by the worker a suitable apron shall be supplied to timber stackers, lorry drivers, and machinists."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of a liquid: thick; viscous.

    "The Pope in sending Relicks to Princes, does as Wenches do by their Wassels at New-years-tide, they present you with a Cup, and you must drink of a slabby stuff; but the meaning is, you must give them Moneys, ten times more than it is worth."

  2. 2
    Composed of slabs; resembling a slab or slabs; inelegant, cumbersome, clunky.

    "Then he set up another shop an’ hired some of us ’round here to go an’ make them big, slabby art-chairs."

  3. 3
    Of a surface: sloppy, slimy.

    "When waggiſh Boys the ſtunted Beeſom ply, / To rid the ſlabby Pavement; paſs not by / E’er thou haſt held their Hands; ſome heedleſs Flirt / Will over-ſpread thy Calves with ſpatt’ring Dirt."

  4. 4
    Characterized by smooth relatively low-angle rock face or slab that lacks significant vertical features.
  5. 5
    Rainy, wet. (of weather)

    "1581, John Studley (translator), Hercules Oetaeus, Act I, in Seneca his Tenne Tragedies, Translated into Englysh, London: Thomas Marsh, To Virgo, Leo turnes the time, and in a reaking sweate. He buskling vp his burning Mane, doth dry the dropping south. And swallowes vp the slabby cloudes in fyry foming mouth."

Example

More examples

"The Pope in sending Relicks to Princes, does as Wenches do by their Wassels at New-years-tide, they present you with a Cup, and you must drink of a slabby stuff; but the meaning is, you must give them Moneys, ten times more than it is worth."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From slab (“mud, sludge”) + -y.

Etymology 2

From slab (“solid object that is large and flat”) + -y.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.