lash

The thong or braided cord of a whip, with which the blow is given.

Adjective

  1. Remiss, lax.

    Synonyms: at fault blameworthy neglectful negligent reprehensible

  2. Relaxed.

    Synonyms: airy at ease at peace carefree careless casual chill cool devil-may-care easy-breezy easygoing happy-go-lucky indifferent insouciant laid-back leisurely lighthearted loose mellow nonchalant pococurante relaxed serene solute

  3. Soft, watery, wet.
    • Fruits being unwholesome and lash before the fourth or fifth Yeare. - 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus, Folio Society, published 2007, page 211:

    Synonyms: spongy squidgy bewatered damp drenched dripping drunk humid irriguous madid moist moisty overwatered plashy saturated soaked sodden soggy soppy spewy thoan thone undried watered

  4. Excellent, wonderful.
    • We’re off school tomorrow, it’s gonna be lash!
    • That Chinese (food) was lash!

    Synonyms: ace admirable amazing awe-inspiring awesome badass bang on bang-up studly based beatific beneship bitching blissful bomb brilliant bully celestial cher choice chronic chur cock on commendable

  5. Drunk.

    Synonyms: Adrian Quist adrip aled up all mops and brooms arseholed a sheet in the wind a sheet in the wind's eye bedrunken befuddled beliquored besotted besotten bevvied bibacious bibulous binned bingoed bladdered blasted blewed blind blind drunk blitzed blocked

Origin

From Old French lasche (French lâche).

Forms

more lash most lash

Derived

lash egg

Noun Entry 2

  1. The thong or braided cord of a whip, with which the blow is given.
    • I observed that your whip wanted a lash to it. - 1711 July 14 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “TUESDAY, July 4, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 108; republished in Alexander Chalmers,...
  2. A leash in which an animal is caught or held; hence, a snare.
  3. A stroke with a whip, or anything pliant and tough, often given as a punishment.
    • The culprit received thirty-nine lashes.
  4. A quick and violent sweeping movement, as of an animal's tail; a swish.
  5. A stroke of satire or sarcasm; an expression or retort that cuts or gives pain; a cut.
    • The moral is a lash at the vanity of arrogating that to ourselves which succeeds well. - 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and...
  6. A hair growing from the edge of the eyelid; an eyelash.
    • But Richmond, his grandfather's darling, after one thoughtful glance cast under his lashes at that uncompromising countenance appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. - 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The...
  7. In carpet weaving, a group of strings for lifting simultaneously certain yarns, to form the figure.
  8. Flowering plants of genus Blepharis.
  9. An attempt; a go at something.
    • I'll have a lash.
    • Much-loved characters living on after their author’s death is not so unusual these days. Every second bloke in possession of a keyboard seems to have had a lash at a James Bond thriller, including Kingsley Amis, John...
    • “I felt I’d go out and grab the bull by the horns and give it a good lash and I’m very pleased to come away with second in my very first Diamond League final.” - 2022 September 9, Cathal Dennehy, “Ciara Mageean shines...

    Synonyms: bash

  10. A quantity, a great number or amount (e.g. of rain or milk).
    • the Ayrshire cow gives a lash of milk on comparatively bare pasture - 1883, Ontario Agricultural College, Annual Report of the Ontario School of Agriculture and Experimental Farm, page 163:
    • The oaks cry oot beneath November's lashes, But not for all the months[…] - 1891, James Logie Robertson, Ochil Idylls: And Other Poems, page 23:
    • ... put a lash of scepticism in his tone. - 2014 April 22, John Creasey, The Theft of Magna Carta, House of Stratus, →ISBN, page 79:

Origin

From Middle English lashe, lasshe, lasche (“a stroke; the flexible end of a whip”), from Proto-Germanic *laskô (“flap of fabric, strap”). Cognate with Dutch lasch, las (“a piece; seal; joint; notch; seam”), German Low German Laske, Lask (“a flap; dag; strap”), German Lasche (“a flap; joint; strap; tongue; scarf”), Swedish lask (“scarf”), Icelandic laski (“the bottom part of a glove”).

Forms

lashes

Derived

backlash belashed give something a lash lash curler lashless lash lift lashlike lashline lashtail lashwise lashy on the lash pre-lash whiplash whitelash

Noun engineering, machining

  1. Looseness between fitted parts, either intentional (as allowance) or unintentional (from error or wear).
    • setting the proper valve lash for solid lifters
    • excessive lash in the gear train

    Synonyms: backlash play lost motion

Verb Entry 4

  1. To strike with a lash; to whip or scourge with a lash, or with something like one.
    • We lash the pupil, and defraud the ward - 1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The First Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into...
    • A lesbian who was lashed as a teenager for saying she was gay. - 1994 October, “Lesbian Launches Transkei Gay Group”, in Gay Community News, page 4:
  2. To strike forcibly and quickly, as with a lash; to beat, or beat upon, with a motion like that of a lash.
    • Heavy seas lashed the shore.
    • Carlo Ancelotti's out-of-sorts team struggled to hit the target in the first half as Bolton threatened with Matthew Taylor lashing just wide. - 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:
  3. To throw out with a jerk or quickly.
    • He falls, and lashing up his heels, his rider throws. - 1717, John Dryden [et al.], “(please specify |book=I to XV)”, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Fifteen Books. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
  4. To scold; or to satirize; to censure with severity.

    Synonyms: berate

  5. To ply the whip; to strike.
  6. To strike vigorously; to let fly.
    • In the final minute of six added on, Colombia would undo their good work, though, Pérez fumbling the ball allowing Hemp to lash into the empty net. - 2023 August 12, Suzanne Wrack, “England hit back to beat Colombia and...
  7. To utter censure or sarcastic language.
    • To laugh at follies, or to lash at vice. - 1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Fifth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into...
  8. To fall heavily, especially in the phrase lash down.
    • With rain lashing across the ground at kick-off and every man in Auckland seemingly either English-born or supporting Scotland, Eden Park was transformed into Murrayfield in March. - 2011 October 1, Tom Fordyce, “Rugby...
  9. Used in phrasal verbs: lash back, lash out.

Forms

lashes lashing lashed

Synonyms

whip

Derived

belash lasher lash off outlash overlash taplash tolash tongue-lash unlash windlashed wind-lashed

Verb Entry 5

  1. To bind with a rope, cord, thong, or chain, so as to fasten.
    • to lash something to a spar
    • lash a pack on a horse's back

Origin

From Middle French lachier, from Old French lacier (“to lace”).

Forms

lashes lashing lashed

Derived

lash oneself to the mast lash together lash up