Sling

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Sling, n. [OE. slinge; akin to OD. slinge, D. slinger, OHG. slinga; cf. OF. eslingue, of German origin. See Sling, v. t.].

•  An instrument for throwing stones or other missiles, consisting of a short strap with two strings fastened to its ends, or with a string fastened to one end and a light stick to the other. The missile being lodged in a hole in the strap, the ends of the string are taken in the hand, and the whole whirled rapidly round until, by loosing one end, the missile is let fly with centrifugal force.  [1913 Webster]
•  The act or motion of hurling as with a sling; a throw; figuratively, a stroke.  [1913 Webster]

  "The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune."  [1913 Webster]

  "At one sling
  Of thy victorius arm, well-pleasing Son."  [1913 Webster]
•  A contrivance for sustaining anything by suspension  [1913 Webster]

Sling cart, a kind of cart used to transport cannon and their carriages, large stones, machines, etc., the objects transported being slung, or suspended by a chain attached to the axletree. -- Sling dog, one of a pair of iron hooks used as part of a sling. See def. 3 (b) above.

Sling, v. t. [AS. slingan; akin to D. slingeren, G. schlingen, to wind, to twist, to creep, OHG. slingan to wind, to twist, to move to and fro, Icel. slyngva, slöngva, to sling, Sw. slunga, Dan. slynge, Lith. slinkti to creep.].

•  To throw with a sling.  Judg. xx. 16.  [1913 Webster]
•  To throw; to hurl; to cast.  Addison.  [1913 Webster]
•  To hang so as to swing; as, to sling a pack.  [1913 Webster]
•  To pass a rope round, as a cask, gun, etc., preparatory to attaching a hoisting or lowering tackle.  [1913 Webster]

Sling, n. [Cf. G. schlingen to swallow.].

 A drink composed of spirit (usually gin) and water sweetened.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Sling, n. & v.
--n.
1 a strap, belt, etc., used to support or raise a hanging weight, e.g. a rifle, a ship's boat, or goods being transferred.
2 a bandage looped round the neck to support an injured arm.
3 a strap or string used with the hand to give impetus to a small missile, esp. a stone.
4 Austral. sl. a tip or bribe.
--v.tr. (past and past part. slung)
1 (also absol.) hurl (a stone etc.) from a sling.
2 colloq. throw.
3 suspend with a sling, allow to swing suspended, arrange so as to be supported from above, hoist or transfer with a sling.

Idiom

sling-back
1 a shoe held in place by a strap above the heel.
2 (in full sling-back chair) a chair with a fabric seat suspended from a rigid frame. sling-bag a bag with a long strap which may be hung from the shoulder. sling one's hook see HOOK. sling off at Austral. & NZ sl. disparage; mock; make fun of. slung shot a metal ball attached by a thong etc. to the wrist and used esp. by criminals as a weapon.

Sling, n. a sweetened drink of spirits (esp. gin) and water.

Etymology

18th c.: orig. unkn.

THESAURUS

Sling

Ace bandage, Band-Aid, adhesive tape, application, arbalest, ballista, band, bandage, bandaging, belt, binder, bowl, brace, bung, cast, cast at, cataplasm, catapult, change of pace, change-up, chuck, chuck at, chunk, compress, cotton, court plaster, cravat, curve, dangle, dart, dash, depend, downcurve, dressing, elastic bandage, epithem, fastball, fasten up, fire, fire at, fling, fling at, flip, fork, forward pass, four-tailed bandage, gauze, hang, hang up, heave, heave at, hurl, hurl against, hurl at, hurtle, incurve, jerk, knuckleball, lance, lateral, lateral pass, launch, let fly, let fly at, lint, lob, march, outcurve, pass, peg, pelt, pitch, pitchfork, plaster, plaster cast, pledget, poultice, propel, put, put the shot, put up, roller, roller bandage, rubber bandage, screwball, serve, service, shoot, shot-put, shy, shy at, sinker, slider, sling at, slingshot, snap, sock, spitball, spitter, splint, sponge, stalk, strap, stupe, support, suspend, tampon, tape, tent, throw, throw at, throw stick, throwing-stick, tilt, toss, toss at, tourniquet, trebuchet, triangular bandage, upcurve, wommera

ROGET THESAURUS

Sling

Arms

N arm, arms, weapon, deadly weapon, armament, armaments, armature, panoply, stand of arms, armor, armory, apparatus belli, ammunition, powder, powder and shot, cartridge, ball cartridge, cartouche, fireball, villainous saltpeter, dumdum bullet, explosive, gunpowder, guncotton, mercury fulminate, picrates, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, PETN, high explosive, trinitrotoluene, TNT, dynamite, melinite, cordite, lyddite, plastic explosive, plastique, pyroxyline, sword, saber, broadsword, cutlass, falchion, scimitar, cimeter, brand, whinyard, bilbo, glaive, glave, rapier, skean, Toledo, Ferrara, tuck, claymore, adaga, baselard, Lochaber ax, skean dhu, creese, kris, dagger, dirk, banger, poniard, stiletto, stylet, dudgeon, bayonet, sword-bayonet, sword-stick, side arms, foil, blade, steel, ax, bill, pole-ax, battle-ax, gisarme, halberd, partisan, tomahawk, bowie knife, ataghan, attaghan, yataghan, yatacban, assagai, assegai, good sword, trusty sword, naked sword, cold steel, club, mace, truncheon, staff, bludgeon, cudgel, life preserver, shillelah, sprig, hand staff, quarter staff, bat, cane, stick, knuckle duster, billy, blackjack, sandbag, waddy, gun, piece, firearms, artillery, ordnance, siege train, battering train, park, battery, cannon, gun of position, heavy gun, field piece, mortar, howitzer, carronade, culverin, basilisk, falconet, jingal, swivel, pederero, bouche a feu, petard, torpedo, mitrailleur, mitrailleuse, infernal machine, smooth bore, rifled cannon, Armstrong gun, Lancaster gun, Paixhan gun, Whitworth gun, Parrott gun, Krupp gun, Gatling gun, Maxim gun, machine gun, pompom, ten pounder, small arms, musket, musketry, firelock, fowling piece, rifle, fusil, caliver, carbine, blunderbuss, musketoon, Brown Bess, matchlock, harquebuss, arquebus, haguebut, pistol, postolet, petronel, small bore, breach-loader, muzzle-loader, revolver, repeater, Minis rifle, Enfield rifle, Flobert rifle, Westley Richards rifle, Snider rifle, Martini-Henry rifle, Lee-Metford rifle, Lee-Enfield rifle, Mauser rifle, magazine rifle, needle gun, chassepot, wind gun, air gun, automatic gun, automatic pistol, escopet, escopette, gunflint, gun- lock, hackbut, shooter, shooting iron, six-shooter, shotgun, Uzzi, assault rifle, Kalashnikov, bow, crossbow, balister, catapult, sling, battering ram, gunnery, ballistics, missile, bolt, projectile, shot, ball, grape, grape shot, canister shot, bar shot, cannon shot, langrel shot, langrage shot, round shot, chain shot, balista, ballista, slung shot, trebucbet, trebucket, bullet, slug, stone, brickbat, grenade, shell, bomb, carcass, rocket, congreve, congreve rocket, shrapnel, mitraille, levin bolt, levin brand, thunderbolt, pike, lance, spear, spontoon, javelin, dart, jereed, jerid, arrow, reed, shaft, bolt, boomerang, harpoon, gaff, eelspear, oxgoad, weet-weet, wommerah, cattle prod, chemical mace, en flute, nervos belli pecuniam infinitam.

Drunkenness

N drunkenness, intemperance, drinking, inebriety, inebriation, ebriety, ebriosity, insobriety, intoxication, temulency, bibacity, wine bibbing, comtation, potation, deep potations, bacchanals, bacchanalia, libations, bender, oinomania, dipsomania, delirium tremens, alcohol, alcoholism, mania a potu, drink, alcoholic drinks, blue ruin, grog, port wine, punch, punch bowl, cup, rosy wine, flowing bowl, drop, drop too much, dram, beer, aguardiente, apple brandy, applejack, brandy, brandy smash, chain lightning, champagne, cocktail, gin, ginsling, highball, peg, rum, rye, schnapps, sherry, sling, uisquebaugh, usquebaugh, whisky, xeres, drunkard, sot, toper, tippler, bibber, wine-bibber, lush, hard drinker, gin drinker, dram drinker, soaker, sponge, tun, love pot, toss pot, thirsty soul, reveler, carouser, Bacchanal, Bacchanalian, Bacchal, Bacchante, devotee to Bacchus, bum, guzzler, tavern haunter, drunk, tipsy, intoxicated, inebrious, inebriate, inebriated, in one's cups, in a state of intoxication, temulent, temulentive, bombed, smashed, fuddled, mellow, cut, boozy, fou, fresh, merry, elevated, flustered, disguised, groggy, beery, top-heavy, potvaliant, glorious, potulent, squiffy, overcome, overtaken, whittled, screwed, tight, primed, corned, raddled, sewed up, lushy, nappy, muddled, muzzy, obfuscated, maudlin, crapulous, dead drunk, woozy, buzzed, flush, flushed, inter pocula, in liquor, the worse for liquor, having had a drop too much, half seas over, three sheets in the wind, three sheets to the wind, under the table, drunk as a lord, drunk as a skunk, drunk as a piper, drunk as a fiddler, drunk as Chloe, drunk as an owl, drunk as David's sow, drunk as a wheelbarrow, drunken, bibacious, sottish, given to drink, addicted to drink, addicted to the bottle, toping, nunc est bibendum, Bacchus ever fair and young, drink down all unkindness, O that men should put an enemy in their mouths to.

Pendency

VB be pendent, hang, depend, swing, dangle, swag, daggle, flap, trail, flow, beetle, suspend, hang, sling, hook up, hitch, fasten to, append.

Propulsion

VB propel, project, throw, fling, cast, pitch, chuck, toss, jerk, heave, shy, hurl, flirt, fillip, dart, lance, tilt, ejaculate, jaculate, fulminate, bolt, drive, sling, pitchfork, send, send off, let off, fire off, discharge, shoot, launch, release, send forth, let fly, put in orbit, send into orbit, launch into orbit dash, put in motion, set in motion, set agoing, start, give a start, give an impulse to, impel, trundle, expel, carry one off one's legs, put to flight.