adjective / verb / noun
slick
SLIK/slɪk/
Having a smooth slippery or glossy surface.
The bathroom floor is slick with water from the shower.
Etymology
The earlier sense “smooth, glossy” described skin or hair. Applied to manner or presentation, this became “smooth, plausible,” which could suggest clever deception rather than genuine quality.
In context
They're slick with moss, so one wrong step is all it takes.
More examples
- She slicks her hair back with a little gel.
- An oil slick spreads across the surface of the pond.
- The new coating makes the countertop slick and shiny.
Forms
slick · slicker · slickest · slicks · slicked · slicking
slickness noun — The quality of being smooth or slippery.