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slowpoke

/ˌsloʊˈpoʊk/
/ˈslʌʊpəʊk/
IPA guide

Other forms: slowpokes

If it takes a long time for you to act or move, you're a slowpoke. Being a slowpoke is a real disadvantage when you're running in a 50 yard dash.

The informal slowpoke is a good one to use when your little brother is lagging behind, slowing everyone down: "Hurry up, slowpoke!" In the UK, the equivalent word is slowcoach, which makes sense if you think of a stagecoach moving slowly. The poke part of slowpoke comes from a rare meaning, "a device attached to pigs and sheep to keep them from escaping," and is also the root of pokey, or "slow."

Definitions of slowpoke
  1. noun
    someone who moves slowly
    see moresee less
    type of:
    dawdler, drone, laggard, lagger, poke, trailer
    someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind
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