slithy
1
9.9
- adjective
- Archaic
:
resbaladizo
- I've always pronounced slithy (both in my head and while reciting) with a long i sound (i.e., the same vowel as in shiny, sniy), but I've also heard others pronounce it as a short i.
- slithy toves
Examples
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'Twas brillig And the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
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"'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
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I don't like it as much, you know, now that I know that slithy is supposed to mean this, now it's no longer mysterious.
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You're undoubtedly right about slithy.
Blog text (7) -
"And the slithy toves did gyre and gimble."
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'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
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'Twas brillig And the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
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In the same preface, he also says slithy is pronounced as if it were the two words "sly, the," and that "rath" should be pronounced to rhyme with "bath"; but as "bath" is pronounced with a long "a" in southern England and a short "a" in the north, that doesn't help!
Blog text (7) -
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
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The slithy movements of the dancer captivated the audience during the performance.
Synonyms
1
4.4
A surface or thing that is smooth and slippery and lets things slide easily
1
7.7
Having smooth, curved shapes like soft waves
Antonyms
How Smoothly
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Slithy was invented by Lewis Carroll as a blend of slimy ('smooth and wet') and lithe ('flexible'), and it also echoes slither ('to glide'). So slithy suggests something that moves smoothly and actively, often in a playful or poetic way.