rough vs slack

rough

adj
  • Approximate; hasty or careless; not finished. 

  • Turbulent. 

  • Crude; unrefined. 

  • Difficult; trying. 

  • Violent; not careful or subtle. 

  • Not polished; uncut. 

  • Harsh-tasting. 

  • Somewhat ill; sick; in poor condition. 

  • Unwell due to alcohol; hungover. 

  • Loud and hoarse; offensive to the ear; harsh; grating. 

  • Worn; shabby; weather-beaten. 

  • Not smooth; uneven. 

adv
  • In a rough manner; rudely; roughly. 

noun
  • A quick sketch, similar to a thumbnail but larger and more detailed, used for artistic brainstorming. 

  • A scuffed and roughened area of the pitch, where the bowler's feet fall, used as a target by spin bowlers because of its unpredictable bounce. 

  • The unmowed part of a golf course. 

  • The raw material from which faceted or cabochon gems are created. 

  • A rude fellow; a coarse bully; a rowdy. 

  • A piece inserted in a horseshoe to keep the animal from slipping. 

verb
  • To render rough; to roughen. 

  • To break in (a horse, etc.), especially for military purposes. 

  • To create in an approximate form. 

  • To endure primitive conditions. 

  • To roughen a horse's shoes to keep the animal from slipping. 

  • To commit the offense of roughing, i.e. to punch another player. 

slack

adj
  • Lacking diligence or care; not earnest or eager. 

  • 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. 

  • 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. 

noun
  • 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. 

  • Small coal; coal dust. 

  • A valley, or small, shallow dell. 

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