slashes

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of slash.

   He separated the dates from the years with neat slashes.

   The painting was ruined by two long slashes across the canvas.

   Note

   The -es plural that English uses after a hissing sound, as in dashes and lashes, so the word gains a syllable. The plural is especially natural in tailoring, where slashes are slits in a garment that show a contrasting lining underneath. Figuratively, it names sharp reductions in what is allotted. The same spelling also serves the present-tense verb, so context decides whether slashes names the cuts or the act of making them.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of slash.

   The new manager slashes the budget whenever sales dip below target.

   A reckless driver slashes through traffic without signaling.

   Note

   The form that goes with a single third-person subject: she slashes, the company slashes. With I, you, we and they, the bare slash returns. It carries every use of the verb, figurative ones included: a retailer slashes prices, a reviewer slashes a rival's book with cutting criticism, and in hockey a player slashes across an opponent's arms or legs.

   The critic slashes every novel the publisher sends her.

   The store slashes its prices after the holidays.

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