slumgullion

noun

slum·​gul·​lion ˈsləm-ˌgəl-yən 

ˌsləm-ˈgəl-

: a meat stew

Did you know?

Slumgullion may not sound like the most appetizing name for a dish, but that's part of its charm. The word's etymology doesn't necessarily do it any favors: while the origins of slumgullion are somewhat murky, the word is believed to derive from slum, an old word for "slime," and gullion, an English dialectical term for "mud" or "cesspool." The earliest recorded usages of slumgullion, including one from Mark Twain's Roughing It (1872), refer not to a stew but a beverage. The sense referring to the stew debuted a few decades later, and while there is no consensus on exactly what ingredients are found in it, that's the slumgullion that lives on today.

Examples of slumgullion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Remarkably, the slumgullion that Morton thickened through 3 2/3 innings included just one hit. —Hunter Atkins, Houston Chronicle, 10 June 2018

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from slum slime + English dialect gullion mud, cesspool

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!