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Glite Dictionary
to be a slob

to be a slob

4 7.9
Act lazy and messy and not care about cleaning or keeping things tidy
  • idiom
  • Offensive
translation icon : ser un cerdo
  • You're a slob.

Or maybe one day I'll stop being a slob and get back to the gym.

Examples

Synonyms

to slut
vsto be a slob
  • NSFW
1 9.9

In old use, to make untidy or dirty

is the modern phrase for messy, careless, or lazy behavior
to act like a bum
vsto be a slob
  • Offensive
8.6

To behave lazily and avoid work or responsibility

focuses on messiness as well as carelessness rather than only laziness
to scumming around
vsto be a slob
  • Offensive
9.9

To spend time doing very little and not do the work you should

emphasizes mess and carelessness without implying dishonesty or avoidance

Antonyms

tidy
47 1.0

Having things in order with no mess

diligent
37 3.6

To work carefully and try hard to finish tasks

Surface Forms

be a slob infinitive
was a slob past
been a slob past participle
being a slob present participle
is a slob third person singular

Morphology

be + a + slob

The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'be' (to have an identity), the article 'a', and 'slob' (a messy, disorganized person), so 'be a slob' straightforwardly means to behave like a messy person. The copular construction 'be a + noun' is a common, compositional pattern across languages, making this immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Be a slob may come from the old word slob, linked to the word 'slobber' meaning to drool. Imagine someone leaving food and wet marks everywhere, and you can see why be a slob means 'to behave in a messy, careless, or lazy way'.