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teen yards. To drop astern (Naut.), to go astern of another vessel; to be left behind; to slacken the speed of a vessel so as to fall behind and to let another pass a head. -- To drop down (Naut.), to sail, row, or move down a river, or toward the sea. -- To drop off, to fall asleep gently; also, to die. [Colloq.]…

in; to furnish with accommodations. [Obs.] Chaucer. To ease off, To ease away (Naut.), to slacken a rope gradually. -- To ease a ship (Naut.), to put the helm hard, or regulate the sail, to prevent pitching when closehauled. -- To ease the helm (Naut.), to put the helm more nearly amidships, to lessen the effect on t…

ducing results; that makes the effect to be what it is; actively operative; not inactive, slack, or incapable; characterized by energetic and useful activity; as, an efficient officer, power. The efficient cause is the working cause. Wilson.

expansive; extended, superficially or otherwise. Men and gods are too extense; Could you slacken and condense Emerson.

To haul in; to take up; as, to gather the slack of a rope. To be gathered to one's people, or to one's fathers to die. Gen. xxv. 8. -- To gather breath, to recover normal breathing after being out of breath; to get breath; to rest. Spenser. -- To gather one's self together, to collect and dispose one's powers for a g…

Incapable of, or indisposed to, effective action; habitually slack or remiss; effecting little or nothing; as, inefficient workmen; an inefficient administrator.

To cause to lag; to slacken. [Obs.] "To lag his flight." Heywood.

Not tense, firm, or rigid; loose; slack; as, a lax bandage; lax fiber. The flesh of that sort of fish being lax and spongy. Ray.

The act of loosening or slackening, or the state of being loosened or slackened.

Slackening; retarding. Same as Rallentando.

carbon dioxide and leaving lime. It develops great heat when treated with water, forming slacked lime, and is an essential ingredient of cement, plastering, mortar, etc.CaO

The capital city of England. London paste (Med.), a paste made of caustic soda and unslacked lime; -- used as a caustic to destroy tumors and other morbid enlargements. -- London pride. (Bot.) (a) A garden name for Saxifraga umbrosa, a hardy perennial herbaceous plant, a native of high lands in Great Britain. (b) A na…

mage, as to a sovereign or other superior. -- To pay out (Naut.), to pass out; hence, to slacken; to allow to run out; as, to pay out more cable. See under Cable. -- To pay the piper, to bear the cost, expense, or trouble. [Colloq.]

Calcium oxide; unslacked lime; -- so called because when wet it develops great heat. See 4th Lime, 2.

Slackening; -- a direction to perform a passage with a gradual decrease in time and force; ritardando.

der to hit the object; a position finder. -- Range of cable (Naut.), a certain length of slack cable ranged along the deck preparatory to letting go the anchor. -- Range work (Masonry), masonry of squared stones laid in courses each of which is of even height throughout the length of the wall; -- distinguished from b…

To make lax or loose; to make less close, firm, rigid, tense, or the like; to slacken; to loosen; to open; as, to relax a rope or cord; to relax the muscles or sinews. Horror . . . all his joints relaxed. Milton. Nor served it to relax their serried files. Milton.

To slacken; to abate. [Obs.] And oftentimes he would relent his pace. Spenser.

ful or prompt in fulfilling engagements; negligent; careless; tardy; behindhand; lagging; slack; hence, lacking earnestness or activity; languid; slow. Thou never wast remiss, I bear thee witness. Milton. These nervous, bold; those languid and remiss. Roscommon. Its motion becomes more languid and remiss. Woodward.…

e. Three thousand ducats; 'tis a good round sum. Shak. Round was their pace at first, but slackened soon. Tennyson.