slow- worm
Preserved but no longer current.
See MISNOMERS. Slubberdegullion (slub er de gfll' yon). A nasty, paltry fellow. To slubber is to do things by halves, to perform a work carelessly ; degullion is a fanciful addition (as in rapscallion). Quoth she, "Although thou hast deserved, Base slubber- degullion, to be served As thou didst vow to deal with me.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “slow- worm” mean?
See MISNOMERS. Slubberdegullion (slub er de gfll' yon). A nasty, paltry fellow. To slubber is to do things by halves, to perform a work carelessly ; degullion is a fanciful addition (as in rapscallion). Quoth she, "Although thou hast deserved, Base slubber- degullion, to be served As thou didst vow to deal with me.
Is “slow- worm” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.