In California we pronounce that "slew" or "sloo" and it roughly means  
"an area of muddy ground, a swamp, or something similar," and the  
name is found extensively in the Sacramento Delta region in Northern  
California to describe bodies of water that comprise the Delta.  Look  
up in Google Sutter Slough or Elk Slough, and I would guess there's  
plenty of Google Earth images on the database.  Kinda like a giant  
swamp.  No alligators, however.

Another variant is pronounced "sluf" and means something like getting  
rid of something on one's skin, "sluf" off dry skin, etc.

I've never heard of "Slough" as in "Cow..." It must be quite some place.

Whatever happened to that Southern Lady with the batting eyelashes????

Dave




Posted by: "colin.fletcher" [EMAIL PROTECTED]   colin_in_ohio
Mon Mar 26, 2007 2:04 pm (PST)

Well I am originally from Slough, England

I am not sure I would agree with the pleasant surprise after my last  
visit
there.

Slough

by John Betjeman (1906 - 1984)

John Betjeman published his poem about Slough in 1937 in the  
collected works
Continual Dew. Slough was becoming increasingly industrial and some  
housing
conditions were very cramped. In willing the destruction of Slough,  
Betjeman
urges the bombs to pick out the vulgar profiteers but to spare the bald
young clerks. He really was very fond of his fellow human beings.  
Slough is
much improved nowadays and he might be pleasantly surprised by a stroll
there.

_____

Slough

Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!
It isn't fit for humans now,
There isn't grass to graze a cow.
Swarm over, Death!

Come, bombs and blow to smithereens
Those air -conditioned, bright canteens,
Tinned fruit, tinned meat, tinned milk, tinned beans,
Tinned minds, tinned breath.

Mess up the mess they call a town-
A house for ninety-seven down
And once a week a half a crown
For twenty years.

And get that man with double chin
Who'll always cheat and always win,
Who washes his repulsive skin
In women's tears:

And smash his desk of polished oak
And smash his hands so used to stroke
And stop his boring dirty joke
And make him yell.

But spare the bald young clerks who add
The profits of the stinking cad;
It's not their fault that they are mad,
They've tasted Hell.

It's not their fault they do not know
The birdsong from the radio,
It's not their fault they often go
To Maidenhead

And talk of sport and makes of cars
In various bogus-Tudor bars
And daren't look up and see the stars
But belch instead.

In labour-saving homes, with care
Their wives frizz out peroxide hair
And dry it in synthetic air
And paint their nails.

Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough
To get it ready for the plough.
The cabbages are coming now;
The earth exhales.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Reply via email to