slam

shut with force

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An empty jail cell seen through its closed barred door, with a substantial lock, a narrow institutional bunk and a stainless-steel toilet clearly identifying confinement rather than an ordinary barred enclosure.

noun

slammer

SLAM-er/ˈslæmər/

A jail or prison.

Etymology

slammEnglishshut with force

+erEnglisha person or thing that does something

A slammer is literally something that slams. The prison sense perhaps grew from an earlier slang use meaning “door,” linking confinement with a door shutting forcefully.

Full entry

Related word entries

slammerForceful impact
slammerPrison