Word of the Day

: February 12, 2009

slumgullion

noun SLUM-gull-yun

What It Means

: a meat stew

slumgullion in Context

On Monday nights at the mess hall, the enlisted men and women could expect a meal of slumgullion made from the previous week’s leftovers.

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 do it any favors: "slumgullion" is believed to be derived from "slum," an old word for "slime," and "gullion," an English dialectical term for "mud" or "cesspool." The earliest recorded usage of "slumgullion," in Mark Twain’s Roughing It (1872), refers not to a stew but a beverage. The sense referring to the stew debuted about two decades later, and while there is no consensus on exactly what kinds of ingredients are found in it, that’s the "slumgullion" that lives on today.