slush
slush — noun
- slushsingular
- slushesplural
1. A grey, wet mixture of melting snow and dirt that collects on streets and paths
A grey, wet mixture of melting snow and dirt that collects on streets and paths when the weather warms up.
Kasia's boots were soaked after she stepped into deep slush by the bus stop.
collocation: deep patch of slush
The morning sun turned yesterday's snow into ugly brown slush along the kerb.
collocation: brown slush / grey slush
Cars sprayed slush across the pavement as Zuri waited to cross the road.
Quinn sighed when the garden's clean white snow turned into muddy grey slush overnight.
Ramón scraped the slush off the front steps before it could freeze overnight.
用法筆記
Uncountable. You cannot say 'a slush' when talking about melting snow. The word often carries a negative feel — slush is unpleasant, dirty, and in the way.
常見錯誤
2. A cold, sweet drink made by whirling crushed ice together with brightly coloured
A cold, sweet drink made by whirling crushed ice together with brightly coloured syrup or fruit juice, sold at corner shops, cinemas, and fairs.
Sivan handed each child a cup of bright blue slush at the school summer fair.
Maeve sipped her cherry slush through a wide straw while sitting on the park bench.
collocation: cherry/cola/grape + slush
The corner shop sells slush in three flavours: grape, lemon, and cola.
Allison's teeth hurt from drinking the ice-cold slush far too quickly.
Ari swore the cheap cherry slush from the petrol station was better than any expensive dessert.
用法筆記
Can be countable when referring to a single serving ('I'll have a slush, please') or uncountable when referring to the substance ('the cup was full of bright red slush').
常見錯誤
3. Stories, films, or speech that are so full of exaggerated romance and emotion th
Stories, films, or speech that are so full of exaggerated romance and emotion that they feel shallow and embarrassing rather than moving.
Ravindra threw the novel across the room after the final chapter dissolved into pure romantic slush.
pure slush — uncountable, disapproving
Hui rolled her eyes at the romantic slush her flatmate kept posting online.
Brian said the Valentine's card was sweet, but Samir called it embarrassing slush.
Alessia read the review that called the film 'cheap sentimental slush' and crossed it off her list.
Rania deleted the slush she had written in her diary, ashamed of her own words.
- schmaltz
Schmaltz is more specifically about music or art that is excessively sentimental, and is a Yiddish borrowing; slush is broader.
- drivel
Drivel focuses on the stupidity or nonsense of the content, while slush homes in on the excessive emotion.
- corn
Corn is American informal for something trite and overly sentimental, often used of jokes or films.
用法筆記
Always uncountable and disapproving. Typically used in informal contexts — you would not find 'slush' in a serious literary review. Often paired with 'sentimental' or 'romantic'.
slush — verb
- slushpresent simple I / you / we / they
- slushes3rd person singular
- slushing-ing form
- slushedpast simple
1. To splash or spray someone or something with slush — half-melted snow and dirty
To splash or spray someone or something with slush — half-melted snow and dirty water — usually by accident.
A passing lorry slushed Omar from head to toe at the pedestrian crossing.
transitive: slush + person
The children shrieked when the car slushed the school wall with dirty water.
Sivan accidentally slushed his little sister by stomping through the melting snow.
The bus slushed the waiting crowd, soaking several winter coats in grey water.
文法句型
slush + someone/something
用法筆記
Rare. Almost always has a vehicle as the subject (a car, bus, or lorry slushes a person). Not used in formal writing.
2. To walk through slush, pushing forward step by step as your feet sink into the w
To walk through slush, pushing forward step by step as your feet sink into the wet, melting snow.
Ramón slushed across the car park, his trousers soaked to the knees with icy water.
slush + across + place
We slushed home from school, laughing every time someone slipped on the ice beneath.
Maeve slushed her way to the letter box, leaving deep, watery footprints behind.
The walkers slushed along the woodland path as the afternoon sun turned the snow soft and wet.
文法句型
slush + through/across + place
slush one's way
用法筆記
Rare. Most speakers would simply say 'wade through slush' rather than use the verb 'slush'. Found mainly in literary or descriptive writing.
3. To make a soft, wet splashing or squelching noise — the sound of feet, wheels, o
To make a soft, wet splashing or squelching noise — the sound of feet, wheels, or anything moving through watery snow or mud.
Allison's boots slushed with every step as she crossed the melting field.
intransitive: [feet/boots] + slush
The bicycle wheels slushed through the grey water at the edge of the lane.
We heard snow slushing under the tyres as the car pulled into the drive.
Brian's feet slushed loudly in the dark, so everyone knew exactly where he was.
文法句型
something + slushes
slush + under + something
用法筆記
Rare and literary. In everyday speech, people use 'squelch' or simply describe the sound ('I could hear the slush under my boots').