Slick has 16 different meanings across 4 categories:
Noun · Verb · Adjective · Proper Noun
a magazine printed on good quality paper
"He bought a glossy slick to read while waiting at the coffee shop."
a film of oil or garbage floating on top of water
"The river's surface was covered in a slick of motor oil that reflected the sunset."
a trowel used to make a surface slick
"The mason used a slick to smooth and finish the newly laid brick wall."
A covering of liquid, particularly oil.
"Slick is an alternative spelling of schlich, a term used in certain dialects to describe something done casually or without much thought."
Alternative form of schlich
In plain English: A slick is an oily substance that makes things slippery and hard to hold onto.
"The slick caught his foot and caused him to slip on the wet pavement."
To make slick.
"The mechanic used wax to slick the race car's body before the competition."
made slick by e.g. ice or grease
"sidewalks slick with ice"
"roads are slickest when rain has just started and hasn't had time to wash away the oil"
Slippery or smooth due to a covering of liquid; often used to describe appearances.
"The wet pavement was slick from the rain, making it dangerous to walk without slipping."
In plain English: Slick means something that is smooth and slippery to touch, often because it is wet or shiny.
"The salesman was too slick and seemed more interested in making money than helping us choose the right car."
Usage: Use "slick" informally to describe someone who appears charming but insincere, though this metaphorical sense is distinct from the literal meaning of being slippery or oily. Avoid confusing it with "slippery," which implies a lack of moral integrity rather than just superficial smoothness.
A term of address, generally applied to males, possibly including strangers, implying that the person addressed is slick in the sense of "sophisticated", but often used sarcastically.
"Don't call me slick unless you mean it."
From Middle English slicke, slike, slyke, from Old English slīc ("sleek, smooth; crafty, cunning, slick"), from Proto-Germanic slīkaz ("sleek, smooth"), from Proto-Indo-European sleyg-, *sleyǵ- ("to glide, smooth, spread"). Akin to Dutch sluik, dialectal Dutch sleek ("even, smooth"), Old Norse slíkr ("sleek, smooth"), Old English slician ("to make sleek, smooth, or glossy").