nether vs slack

nether

noun
  • A trouble; a fault or dislocation in a seam of coal. 

  • Oppression; stress; a withering or stunting influence. 

verb
  • To shrink or huddle, as with cold; be shivery; tremble. 

  • To depreciate; disparage; undervalue. 

  • To constrict; straiten; confine; restrict; suppress; lay low; keep under; press in upon; vex; harass; oppress. 

  • To bring or thrust down; bring or make low; lower; abase; humble. 

  • To pinch or stunt with cold or hunger; check in growth; shrivel; straiten. 

adj
  • Lower; under. 

  • Lying beneath, or conceived as lying beneath, the Earth’s surface. 

adv
  • Down; downward. 

  • Low; low down. 

slack

noun
  • Small coal; coal dust. 

  • Unconditional listening attention given by client to patient. 

  • A temporary speed restriction where track maintenance or engineering work is being carried out at a particular place. 

  • A tidal marsh or shallow that periodically fills and drains. 

  • The part of anything that hangs loose, having no strain upon it. 

  • A valley, or small, shallow dell. 

adj
  • Moderately warm. 

  • Vulgar; sexually explicit, especially in dancehall music. 

  • Not active or busy, successful, or violent. 

  • Excess; surplus to requirements. 

  • Lax; not tense; not firmly extended. 

  • Lacking diligence or care; not earnest or eager. 

  • Lax. 

  • Moderate in speed. 

  • Weak; not holding fast. 

verb
  • To slacken. 

  • To lose cohesion or solidity by a chemical combination with water; to slake. 

adv
  • Slackly. 

How often have the words nether and slack occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )