How Many “slugs” Do You See Here?

Posted by: Josef Essberger

One word, four meanings

How many uses of the word “slug” do you see above? Can you write one sentence for each in the comment box below?

illustration courtesy Andy Singer

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Posted by Josef Essberger January 2013
Contributor: Josef Essberger, founder of EnglishClub. Originally from London, England, Josef is the author of several books for learners of English including English Prepositions List and Learn English in 7.

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87 comments

• Shiya Nga says:
  

  1. A ‘shell-less land snail’.
  2. A hard blow’with a fist.
  3. To avoid work and responsibility; lazy person.
  4. Bullets or pellets.

• sisi says:
  

  hi I see 4 type of slug in above pictucer . thanks because i unheard this word

• mohadeseh says:
  

  1.there is a lot of slugs with shell in humid weather
  2.he threatened the man that he’ll give him a thick ear and he slugged him
  3.playing video games make children slug and reduce their activities
  4.slugs are filled by sulfur

• vijay says:
  

  1) There are so many slugs on the plate
  2)fat guy hitting on chick of a small guy because of this tha small guy is crying, the water rolling on his chick.
  3)girl holding a remote for playing game, it contains three slugs on it.
  4) there are 5 identical slugs on the ground, each had a black coloured tip

• Alex says:
  

  8

• u.sunila dilrukhsi says:
  

  The creature who is in the floor called as slug

  The man slugged to the little child in his hand angrilly.

  He plays a computer whole day like a slug

  There are five slugs in the future

• eman says:
  

  hi sir ,
  in the second picture the man sluged his freind by his hand
  in the fourth picture there are 5 sluges

• Victor says:
  

  1.- I don’t kno whats that.
  2.- John slugged his little brother in his face after knowing he kissed his girlfriend.
  3.- Annie slugs in couch in front of tv playing play station.
  4.- there are five slugs in the pic.

• surendra says:
  

  I confuse the third one

• Saw Nan Nwe says:
  

  Picture 1.I am scared of slug.( a small soft creature)
  Picture 2.The man slugged his friend with his closed hand.
  Picture 3. The slugger, who plays video game all days.
  Picture 4.Five slugs are on the floor.

• steve says:
  

  The*

• steve says:
  

  *explosive

• steve says:
  

  5 bullets are comprised of 5 casings, and 5 slugs.
  the slugs are seperated from the casing, when the trigger ignites the expolsive inside the bullet.
  the 5 bullets shown are bullets. not slugs
  tnx steve

• Waleed Al-Tabeeb says:
  

  1- After the rain you can see slugs.
  2. I don’t like people when they slug it out.
  3. That woman is a real slug. She wastes much time in front of TV.
  5. There are five slugs on the ground

• lakshmy says:
  

  1. The snail with a soft body and no legs that moves very slowly but no shells.(It’s slug)
  2. The angry man hit with someone very hard.
  3. I can’t get it
  4. Bullets

• Johan says:
  

  1. We often slug if rainy time
  2. Don’t slug your friend like this
  3. The laze man would like spend time with slug the game.
  4. The fox crime has come up 5 slug in this location

• BUnth says:
  

  1. There are 8 slugs.

• Gul says:
  

  Hello,Mr Joe, thanks so much for the question.

  I think there are four types of “slugs”.

  1.Slug is a kind of animal like a snail.
  2.The man has been slugged on the back of the neck.
  3.This woman is very slug one.
  4.These slugs are used in the army.

• MILA says:
  

  1. I don’t like slugs! They are ugly!
  3. She watches TV all days! She is very lazy, she is a slug person.
  4. There are four slugs.
  Thank you very much!

• Sama says:
  

  Hi….. How interesting an exercise, especially for EFL learners!
  Without looking it up in the dictionary, I could sense two meanings of the word “slug”: One which means ‘slow, lazy, idle’, and another which means ‘ fast, harmful, dangerous’. Is it a case of homonymy? Now I’m off to check the dictionary.

• snow says:
  

  this was much helpful and interesting ! i wish there would be more mails like this it’s really something make us learn .

  slug [slʌɡ]
  n.
  1. a projectile that is fired from a gun(picture 4 :there are 5 slug scattered on
  the table .)
  2. an idle slothful person(picture 3 :the boy is totally
  a slug,he play’s vedio game all day)
  3. any of various terrestrial gastropods having an elongated slimy body and no external shell(picture 1 : the slug is making it’s way on the wall)
  v.
  1. strike heavily, especially with the fist or a bat
  (picture 2:He slugged me so hard that I passed out )

  another means :

  2. be idle; exist in a changeless situation
  He slugged in bed all morning

• thao says:
  

  1. slug : a small animal without legs crawling very slow, as snail
  2. slug : hard knock –> to slug out
  3. slug at : keen on doing something
  4. slug : bullet

• Karim Rashid says:
  

  There are four uses words different meanings
  1- slugs mean here that is see on the earth near the see.
  2- slugs mean man hit another man.
  3- slugs mean weman be in lazy case.
  4- slugs mean there five slugs on the earth.

• Ismail says:
  

  1. The snail is a lazy snug
  2. Don’t slug sinners, but forgive them.
  3. The woman plays slowly as the slug snail.
  4. Just one slug is enough to kill an elephant.

• dode says:
  

  I can not write:(

• sama says:
  

  I see 4 slug in the picture.
  1.there is a snail without the shall
  2 . The angry man hit the other man or slug to man
  3. there are 5 slug in the picture.
  4. the woman wast time and she is slugged

• JakeD says:
  

  1. A slug on it’s way to a lettuce leaf
  2. Never slug a person when you are in a rage
  3. A lazy slug tries to waist the time
  4. Some slugs to end a violent situation

• Volatiana says:
  

  Very intersting exercise:
  1. I’m scared of this shell-less snail which is called slug.
  2. Why does this man slug the other man’s face?
  3. What a slug woman!it means also, what a lazy woman!
  4. It’s the first time I know that bullets is the meaning of slugs.

• Carla Bernauer says:
  

  1. My kids used to stamp on those ugly slugs in the garden.
  2. After some jerk slugged my son into his face he had to see a doctor.
  3. In a life crisis you are in danger of becoming a slug hanging around all day long.
  4.After a heavy gang shooting there are usually many slugs lying on the streets or wherever the shooting took place.

• ameeta says:
  

  A slug is a slimy snail like animal without a shell

  A hard box which knocks the other out almost is a slug

  Too much Tv makes her ‘ slug gish’

  An American slang for bullet is a ‘ Slug?

• Rosanne says:
  

  1) We found a slug near the pond.
  2) You should be nice to avoid getting slugged.
  3) Don’t be a slug, make use of your time!
  4) the police took the slugs as evidence.

• Azmi says:
  

  Actually, there are different types of slugs:
  Here’s an example: Perez still has a slug lodged in his left shoulder .
  1) The shell-less snail (as a zoologist I familiar with them very good!)
  2) Man slugged his friend (that must hurt!)
  3) The slug boy is playing video games all day! (I can’t imagine leaving your clothes all over the place like that!)
  4) Last but not least, five slugs on the ground!

• Shalva says:
  

  I agree with Kati

• Natalia says:
  

  Thank you, Josef for this activity.
  the task suggests that there are at least four meanings of the word “slug”. According to my dictionary there are over 50 uses of it. It’s really worth learning such polysemous words.

• luiz says:
  

  1) I can see a small spotted slug creeping by;

  2) The bully slugged a guy for no reason;

  3) Mary is a slug. Se keeps all day long watching TV;

  4) The police found five slugs on the floor of the crime scenery.

• marzieh says:
  

  Hi,
  I learned a lot about “slug” here.
  Thank you very much for this practice.

• Chandresh Jaguwala says:
  

  1.There is snail without a shall its name: slug
  2. The angry man has slugged with his closed hand the other man.
  3.Slug lady watching TV.
  4.There are five slugs on the ground.

• Mahfuza Maya says:
  

  4. There are 5 slugs in the picture (correction)

• Mahfuza Maya says:
  

  1. I have never seen a slug.
  2. A strong man is slugging a weaker man.
  3. A slug woman passing her time seeing TV.
  4. There is 5 slugs in the picture.

• Sahondra says:
  

  1.I don’t like the slug. It sticks.
  2.The thief has been slugged by the man.
  3.This woman is a slug. She plays video games and forgets to prepare the dinner.
  4.These slugs have served to attack the train.

• Jessica says:
  

  Dear Josef,

  Thanks a lot.Really appreciate for your good will and support to the learners.

  1. I dislike a slug for its boneless body under the shell which makes me feel upset.
  2. The strong always shows his anger with a slug to his rival’s face.
  3. Playing video game all the time with no work, Jack proves that he is a real slug.
  4. Unfortunately, he dropped some slugs from his bag on the way to battlefield.

• Eynat says:
  

  There on pictures I’m see four meanings of the word “slug”.
  1. A slug is gastropod mollusc.
  2. A man slugs suddenly.
  3. A young man is slug, if he plays much more time.
  4. There are five slugs for unknown gun.

• sewar says:
  

  1-In some countries people like eating slugs, unlike the people in my country.

  2-My son is slugging his friend Ali many slugs.

  3-A slug brings on us bad habits, such as watching the TV all the time instead of tidy our home.

  4-Honestly, I will never buy one slug to kill a person, even he/she my enemy.

  So, as we see, the word slug has different meanings.

• Amir says:
  

  1. A slug is sticky.
  2. One guy slugged another one.
  3. That sluggish boy is good for nothing.
  4. there are four slugs.

  Daniel teacher…. may b ur right im a slug :D

• Jillrago says:
  

  1. I see a white-colored slug in one of the photos
  2. A bully slugged a harmless man
  3. That slug is obviously a lazy type of person
  4. Preparing four slugs for my shooting practice later

• S dilber uysaler says:
  

  There are four different meanings of the word slug in four pictures . İn the first a snail like animal,in the second a strong punch,in the third a bullet shot at random, in the fourth black and white tv and finally there are eight slugs.

• rajashekar says:
  

  1.After rain falls we can observe this slugs on the boundaries of seas.
  2.One man is slugging to other.
  3.Women seating on a sofa and watching television.
  4.a group of bullets are sluged with black colour in front of it.
  so,i think we have seven slugs in image shown above.

• parvaneh says:
  

  My English teacher is teaching me at a slug’s pace.
  He got angry and sluged with his neighbour who broke his window.

• Simpltaneh says:
  

  That was awesome! That’s great. I learned something new today and I really appreciate your creativity :)

• mahmood yonus says:
  

  In my opinion , I think word ((slug)) has many meanings , I will present some of them to you :
  1-someone crash other hardly .
  2- something or someone move slowly and is crazy
  3-It means bullet (gunshots) .
  4-A kind of insects (snail,larva) and it is flabby insect .

• AGISSON says:
  

  There are two slugs , I guess.
  1. first image: one slug .
  2. second image: two men sluging themselves.
  3. a woman watching TV.
  4. some bullets, on a table.

• Bernard says:
  

  1. I found a slug skinned creature in my garden, looks like same as in the first picture.
  2. The strong man gave a slug to the other person. [second picture]
  3. The person is playing a computer game after drinking couple of slugs. [third picture]
  4. The army has slugs demonstrates with live bullets. [ Fourth Picture]

• Fatmah Shaltout says:
  

  Hi;
  there was a spotted slug walking on the floor while a slug woman was sitting on the couch watching TV,suddenly she heard a moaning voice.she freaked out and grab a gun it was unloaded , so she looked every where until she found five slugs on the table . Immediately the gun was loaded ,she ran to the voice’s place to find a squared face man slugging another man on the face .
  :)
  “first time to know slug=bullet and fist ”
  thank you

• Fahim says:
  

  There were slugs near the canal after the rain.
  He slugged his boss in frustration.
  I hate sluggishness.
  Slugs were scaterred everywhere on the road after the cross-fire between terrorists and police.

• benny joon koh says:
  

  THERE IS MORE MEANINGS OF SLUG SUCH AS
  1.snail without a shell 2. metal bullet for air rifle
  3. substitutional coin for vending machine
  4. a mass unit 5. drinking at once 6. hit by hand nuckle 7. hitting baseball

• Wee19 says:
  

  1.A slug move slowly in to my house.
  2.Tom slug Jim cause Jim enraged.
  3.Peter is a slug ,he play games everyday but not work.
  4.I met slugs on the street ,countable five.

• deepjyoti says:
  

  there are 3 slugg.

• Nasser J Naiini says:
  

  Very interesting way of teaching english.Thank you

• ROhan says:
  

  1. Picture to the left side, is a creatur with no legs, and moves very slowly.
  2. picture to right side at the bottom, is a informal bullet.
  3. og 4th pictures, i know nothing about.
  With regards

• Virginia says:
  

  1. SLUG here is a slow-moving creature like a snail.
  2.SLUG here is a hard blow with the fist.
  3. SLUG here is a slow-moving person.
  4. SLUG here is another meaning of BULLET.

• Carmen says:
  

  1.- The slug has circular patches.
  2.- A man is slugging his friend.
  3.- He’s a slug watching tv all day.
  4.- There are four slugs on the table.

• Shamsun says:
  

  1.Thise creation (slug) has dispatched for a long journey.
  2. One hit (slug) determined outcome the match.
  3. I don’t hurry (to be slug) to anywhere.
  4. I can dispense without it (slug).

• Scarlett says:
  

  Dear Mr. Josef

  Here is my try :
  1. The slug is moving too slow
  2. He slugged me in the stomach real hard
  3. The slug always find out a reason for excusing his bad habit.
  4. Those slugs are left on the ground after the gun battle between some gangs.

  Thanks for your nice topic.

• Y Bisaria says:
  

  1. Toy slug.
  2. Rogue deserves that hard slug.
  3. Slug watching the Idiot Box.
  4. I found those lost slugs in my junk box

• Loan says:
  

  Picture 1: ” Slug” means a snail
  Picture 2: “Slug” mentions of an action: hit SO by hand fiercely
  Picture 3: “Slug” refers to a lazy woman
  Picture 4: “Slugs” mean the bullets

  Thanks for sharing

• osama says:
  

  1-In picture one i can see aslug as acolure of painter
  2-when sombody hunt another becom slug
  4- awomen plays playstation as aslug

• yasaman says:
  

  commmmmme ooooon, i know it’s two!!! just fun!

• yasaman says:
  

  tow forms of slugs are disgusting which are no.1&3 as i hate lazy guys an’ also soft wet things,
  an’ the other tow are dangerous, 2&4

  it was a really interesting exercise,,, thanks

• Anna says:
  

  1. Slugs like succulent leaves.
  2. I had fallen after I was slugged by a tough.
  3. He is slug, he plays computer games daylong.
  4. My father has special slugs for his shotgun.

• zeezoo says:
  

  The slug was walking on the couch where a slug woman was sitting and watching TV. Then I heard a shout of fear, so I brought my five slugs to shoot the dirty slug that was on the couch. All the slugs were broken, so I simply slugged it on face and got rid of it. It was such a sluggy night!

• latifa says:
  

  according to the meaning of slug = bullet
  there are only 5 slugs in the whole box

• Naseer says:
  

  It’s a wonderful exercise to familiarize the words

• Smaila says:
  

  1. I’ve found a slug under the lettuce.Again!
  2. The bully slugged the boy with his fist without a reason.
  3. She’s a real slug. She just plays stupid video games for hours.
  4. There are five round, lead-made slugs here.

  A great activity. Thanks Joe!

• Dr. Mufid Jadallah says:
  

  Slug is mostly related to idle or lazy people
  It has other meanings related or not related to the above mentioned meaning including a snail, a bullet, etc.

• hoahuyen says:
  

  Never use a slug to get money from machine.
  My father likes slugging around Africa.
  Would you like a slug of wine?

• Krishna says:
  

  Picture 1 – This kind of slug i saw in river, and paddy-field.. which is harmless. And i heard some unani medicine prepare by this kind of slug.

  Picture 2 – The Angry man slugged with his hand..

  Picture 3 – I did not get the mean… (A women watching the TV..)
  Picture 4 – Bullet .. There are four slug..

  Thanks.. Joe..

• hoahuyen says:
  

  I am scared of slugs.
  What a slug!He nevers helps his roomate.
  Don’t play with slugs or you will die.
  He is a bad husband.He often slugs his wife when he gets angry.

• Mina says:
  

  I can see four types of slugs:
  1) The shell-less snail (as a zoologist I familiar with them very good!)
  2) Man slugged his friend (that must hurt!)
  3) The slug boy is playing video games all day! (I can’t imagine leaving your clothes all over the place like that!)
  4) Last but not least, five slugs on the ground! (Another meaning of bullets)

• jaseb says:
  

  dear josef
  i think there are several means of slug . but my english is poor for describ them . i need a teacher for help me because i like to improve my English
  thanks a lot

• Rashid says:
  

  1. There are five slugs in piture no. 4
  2. Thare is a women watching slug on tv.
  3. There is a man slug his friend by his arm.
  4. There is a snail without shalh in the firt picture.

• hazem says:
  

  Oh good, its raining, lets go slug catching!
  What has happened with your eye? He has slugged me on the face.
  What about not telling that slug that we are going outside.
  I found these slugs near the railway station.

• Simon says:
  

  Wow!
  Its a good game! I knew only two meanings. Question: Kati’s 3rd one is good?

• Saras says:
  

  There is a slug walking on the sofa
  The man slugged the boy so hard yesterday
  The slug woman just sits and wastes her time all day
  I found five slugs on the ground last week

• Daniel teacher says:
  

  1) The slugs in my garden are gooey!
  2) The bouncer slugged the drunken man.
  3) Amir is such a slug. He never tidies his room, he just sits on the sofa playing video games!
  4) Captain Wales caught a slug in his leg but he survived.

  I hadn’t heard of the third one before, maybe it is more American? Teachers teaching teachers! :P Every day is a school day!

• Fatma says:
  

  There are four different meanings of slug
  A snail without a shell . We see them after rain on the earrh
  Slug means fist
  A lazy person there is a slug woman
  And bullet there are five slugs

• Gabriel Sowrian says:
  

  Dear Mr Josef,

  I’ve written a sentence for each picture as requested by you. This is really an interesting activity like the your other previous ones. Thank you!

  1. (noun) a small living thing that looks like a snail without a shell
  A slug has left a trail of slime on the floor.

  2. (verb) to hit somebody hard with the fist
  The gutsy man slugged the thief in the face.

  3. (noun) an idle slothful person
  The slug spends most of her time playing video games.

  4. (noun) an informal word for a bullet in American English
  The robber removed the slug from his thigh with a knife.

  Here are some other meanings that the word ‘slug’ has:
  5. (noun) a counterfeit coin or a metal disk used as a token
  The boy was caught while inserting slugs into the slot machine.

  6. (noun) a small amount of alcoholic drink
  He took the last slug and started to vomit.

  7. (verb) to hitchhike
  She wants to slug around Asia during the next summer.
  (noun) a person who slugs

• Kati says:
  

  1.There is snail without a shall its name: slug
  2. The angry man has slugged with his closed hand the other man.
  3.She is watching a slug. (slug = in TV: a black screen)
  4.There are five slugs in the picture.(slug =bullet)