slather

Unknown; attested from early 19th century, in the sense "to slip, slide". For the sense "to rain", compare East Frisian sladdern and northern German schladdern ("to rain noisily").

• IPA^(key): /ˈslæðə(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æðə(ɹ)

slather (third-person singular simple present slathers, present participle slathering, simple past and past participle slathered) (transitive)

1. To spread something thickly on something else; to coat well.

   I slathered jam on my toast.

2. (often followed by with) To apply generously upon.

   I slathered my toast with jam.

3. To squander.
4. To rain.
   • 1918, The Green Book Magazine, page 949:

     ... rain had fallen all night and it was slathering down in sheets now. That didn't add to my good humor none.

   • 1941, Esquire:

     ... rain still slathered down out of the rubbery black sky. "Why is the sarge always pickin' on us?" asked Ortwingle sorrowfully as the water drenched down the collar of his raincoat. "I figger maybe we are dependable," Smoot […]

slather (plural slathers)

1. (cooking) A thick sauce or spread that is to be slathered (spread thickly) onto food.
2. Drool (especially if abundant).
   • 1983, Edda: A Collection of Essays (Robert James Glendinning), page 177:

     [The river] Ván in SnE I 21 is mentioned as coming from the slather of the bound Fenris Wolf.

3. (usually in the plural) A generous or abundant quantity.
   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand. We spent consider'ble money getting 'em reset, and then a swordfish got into the pound and tore the nets all to slathers, right in the middle of the squiteague season.

   • 1919, Lucy Maud Montgomery, chapter 24, in Rainbow Valley:

     In her eyes the manse people were quite fabulously rich, and no doubt those girls had slathers of shoes and stockings.

• open slather

• lathers, relaths, halster, Sharlet, halters, thalers, Hartels, Hartles, Thalers, Stahler, harslet, Lathers