chug
/t͡ʃʌɡ/ noun, verb
Forms chugs chugging chugged
- noun A dull, fairly quick explosive or percussive sound, as if made by a labouring engine.
- noun A large gulp of drink. “He drank his beer in three chugs.”
- noun A homemade Cuban boat, built to carry emigrants to the USA, and often abandoned upon arrival.
- noun (derogatory, ethnic slur) A person of Native American descent.
- noun (music, chiefly metal) A palm muted note on a distorted electric guitar.
- verb (intransitive) To make dull explosive sounds.
- verb (intransitive) To move or travel whilst making such sounds. “We were chugging along a back road when the engine cut out.”
- verb (intransitive, by extension) To move or travel at a steady, although not especially fast, pace.
- verb (transitive, colloquial) To drink a large amount (especially of beer) in a single action/without breathing; to chugalug. Usually chanted at the person who is drinking. “Chug! Chug! Chug!”
- verb (intransitive, video games) To function or perform with difficulty, typically due to inadequate resources or performance limitations. “My game chugs every time too many NPCs are onscreen.”
- noun A dog that is a cross between a pug and a chihuahua.
- verb (transitive, UK slang, derogatory) To solicit charitable donations on the street, particularly in a persistent manner. “I got chugged in the town centre today.”
Etymology
Onomatopoeic, in imitation of a working steam engine. The racial slur sense derives from the stereotype of Native Americans chugging alcohol.
Blend of chihuahua + pug.
Blend of charity + mug (“to violently rob on the street”).
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “chug”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details