bore vs slack

bore

noun
  • A sudden and rapid flow of tide occurring in certain rivers and estuaries which rolls up as a wave. 

  • Something dull or uninteresting. 

  • The tunnel inside of a gun's barrel through which the bullet travels when fired, or (by extension) its diameter. 

  • One who inspires boredom or lack of interest; an uninteresting person. 

  • Calibre; importance. 

  • A hole drilled or milled through something, or (by extension) its diameter. 

  • A capped well drilled to tap artesian water. 

  • The place where such a well exists. 

  • A tool, such as an auger, for making a hole by boring. 

verb
  • simple past tense of bear 

  • To make (a passage) by laborious effort, as in boring; to force a narrow and difficult passage through. 

  • To make a hole with, or as if with, a boring instrument; to cut a circular hole by the rotary motion of a tool. 

  • To push or drive (a boxer into the ropes, a boat out of its course, etc.). 

  • To push forward in a certain direction with laborious effort. 

  • To be pierced or penetrated by an instrument that cuts as it turns. 

  • To form or enlarge (something) by means of a boring instrument or apparatus. 

  • To make a hole through something. 

  • To inspire boredom in somebody. 

  • simple past tense of bare 

slack

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

  • 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. 

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

  • Small coal; coal dust. 

  • 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. 

adv
  • Slackly. 

verb
  • To slacken. 

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

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