Translation guide
The English word 'slick' has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common ones for learners: smooth/slippery, skillful/deft, and superficially attractive but insincere. It also touches on the noun form for an oil spill.
Describing a surface that is smooth, glossy, and often slippery, like a wet road or polished floor.
A common adjective meaning smooth to the touch or in texture. It can also describe movement or flow.
The surface of this desk is very slick.
An onomatopoeic word for a very smooth, slippery, or glossy surface. Often used for skin, floors, or hair.
The floor is slick and slippery.
Literally 'easy to slip', this phrase is used when a surface is slick and dangerous.
The road is slick from the rain.
Describing a person or action that is performed smoothly, skillfully, and without hesitation.
A noun or na-adjective meaning skillful, clever, or ingenious. It implies a high level of craftsmanship or dexterity.
I was impressed by his slick way with words.
A phrase meaning efficient, deft, or handling things well. Often used for practical tasks.
Means vivid or brilliant, but can also describe a performance or technique that is dazzlingly skillful.
Describing a person, speech, or appearance that is polished and charming but possibly untrustworthy or shallow.
Literally 'skilled with the tip of the tongue', this phrase describes someone who is slick-talking, smooth with words, but not necessarily sincere.
Be careful, he's a slick talker.
An adjective meaning suspicious, shady, or dubious. It can describe a slick person or deal that seems too good to be true.
Slang for flashy, shallow, or playboy-like. Often used for a slick, overly stylish person who lacks substance.
Referring to a thin layer of oil on water, often from a spill.
The standard term for an oil film or slick on water.
An oil slick is spreading on the sea surface.
A direct loanword from English, used in technical or news contexts.
The cleanup of the oil slick is ongoing.
Direct translations like 'スリックな人' do not work in Japanese. Use context-appropriate phrases like '口先がうまい' for a smooth talker or 'うさんくさい' for someone suspicious.
He's a slick talker.
Her slick way of working is impressive.
彼は鮮やかなドリブルで相手を抜いた。
He beat his opponent with a slick dribble.
That salesman seems slick and untrustworthy.
His slick outfit bothers me.