Third person singular or plural of slam, meaning to shut forcefully or to criticize harshly.
Imitative word from the 1690s, representing the sound of forceful impact. Extended to mean harsh criticism by the 1960s, from the metaphor of verbal impact.
The word perfectly demonstrates onomatopoeia in action - the hard consonants 's,' 'l,' and 'm' actually mimic the sharp, decisive sound they describe, making it almost impossible to say 'slam' gently.
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