Word of the Day: Slay, Sleigh and Sley

slay

 

slay  /  slā

 

verb

 

1. to kill or murder

Let necessity, and not your will, slay the enemy who fights against you.

Saint Augustine, 354 – 430

 

2. (slang) to overwhelm; to strongly affect

From the red carpet to her sure-to-be epic performance, one thing is for certain—she’s gonna slay. 

Quinn Keaney, ? –

 

3. to destroy

Slander slays three persons: the speaker, the spoken to, and the spoken of.

Hebrew Proverb

 

 

sleigh

 

sleigh  /  slā

 

noun

 

1. a vehicle with runners that glides over snow, usually horse drawn

Dashing through the snow

In a one-horse open sleigh

O’er the fields we go

Laughing all the way

Bells on bobtails ring

Making spirits bright

What fun it is to ride and sing

A sleighing song tonight!

From “Jingle Bells” by James Lord Pierpont, 1822 – 1893

 

verb

 

1. to drive or travel in a horse drawn vehicle with runners or sled

First of all, there must be good sleighing; and second, a fine night for Christmas eve.

From “If, Yes and Perhaps” by Edward Everett Hale, 1822 – 1909

 

 

sley

 

sley  /  slā

 

noun

 

1. a tool used by a weaver to separate threads; a weaver’s reed

Good sley-makers could always command high prices for their sleys.

From “Home Life in Colonial Days” by Alice Morse Earle, 1851 – 1911