What's the difference between alack and slack?

Alack


Definition:

  • (interj.) An exclamation expressive of sorrow.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Felton, who has been keeping a close – and worried – eye on the council’s decisions, won’t be able to attend the protests due to alack of transport.
  • (2) Alas, alack, way off the mark, which is a shame as Craig probably could have done with something to take the edge off Kirk's take on sex education.

Slack


Definition:

  • (n.) Small coal; also, coal dust; culm.
  • (n.) A valley, or small, shallow dell.
  • (superl.) Lax; not tense; not hard drawn; not firmly extended; as, a slack rope.
  • (superl.) Weak; not holding fast; as, a slack hand.
  • (superl.) Remiss; backward; not using due diligence or care; not earnest or eager; as, slack in duty or service.
  • (superl.) Not violent, rapid, or pressing; slow; moderate; easy; as, business is slack.
  • (adv.) Slackly; as, slack dried hops.
  • (n.) The part of anything that hangs loose, having no strain upon it; as, the slack of a rope or of a sail.
  • (a.) Alt. of Slacken
  • (v. t.) Alt. of Slacken

Example Sentences:

  • (1) It arguably became too comfortable for Rodgers' team, with complacency and slack defending proving a dangerous brew.
  • (2) October 23, 2013 And on unemployment: The recent reduction in the unemployment rate [to 7.7%] indicated that slack in the economy was, as anticipated, being eroded as activity picked up.
  • (3) The press secretary sitting in on the interview looks slack-jawed with shock.
  • (4) Aside from a couple of slack passes early on, there has been no hint of an Italian breakthrough and the Ticos have carried a threat going forward.
  • (5) Chelsea simply cannot afford to be so slack in possession.
  • (6) Experiments were performed to determine the influence of sarcomere length and passive tension on the velocity of unloaded shortening (Vu) as measured by the slack test technique.
  • (7) The irradiated grafts relaxed less and generated less slack length in the drip environment than the nonirradiated controls.
  • (8) Executives from companies including Twitter, Netflix and Slack made donations of the $6,000 legal limit, according to campaign finance reports filed on Tuesday.
  • (9) Unloaded shortening velocity obtained from length steps of different magnitude (slack test) also showed a gradual decrease after the release, consistent with the isotonic release results.
  • (10) The narrative drivers are pretty slack – improbable dialogue ("I'm a very wealthy man, Miss Steele, and I have expensive and absorbing hobbies"); lame characterisation; irritating tics (a constant war between Steele's "subconscious", which is always fainting or putting on half-moon glasses, and her "inner goddess", who is forever pouting and stamping); and an internal monologue that goes like this … "Holy hell, he's hot!
  • (11) That's great that you're able to pick up the slack.'
  • (12) By taking up the slack in the economy – millions of people are underemployed, working fewer hours than they wish – Britain could enjoy fast catch-up growth of the kind it experienced as it recovered from the Great Depression: between 1933 and 1936 UK growth exceeded 4% per year, fuelled by a house building boom.
  • (13) Then I had to wait for God knows how long until Will Adamsdale wheeled it out again for the stragglers, and when he did, I rolled up and watched slack-jawed.
  • (14) The effect of the enzyme collagenase (40-200 units-ml-1) on the spontaneous mechanical activity in vitro and on the fine structure of the activity of the taenia was enhanced both in the isometric and isotonic recordings; after several minutes the muscles became slack or elongated to up to twice their resting lengths.
  • (15) But despite a rapid fall in unemployment – forecast to tumble to 6.3%, the IMF said there was still slack in the labour market.
  • (16) Quique Sánchez Flores: Watford interested in Andros Townsend Read more Watford were uncharacteristically slack, leaving the head coach, Quique Sánchez Flores, to admit “we were not competitive”.
  • (17) Improved estimates of Vu in living fibres were obtained by photographically calibrating the slack test.
  • (18) This complication was caused by certain circumstances: 1. unnoticed perforation of oesophagus, 2. open tube, 3. inspiration against resistance, 4. tube tip placed in slack connective tissue.
  • (19) Alas we fear season three might mean more slouchy tees and boot-cut slacks.
  • (20) Because there is plenty of slack in the labour market and investment needs to increase.

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