On appeal, the Hawaii Supreme Court first noted the war had been over for nearly a year by the time the article was published. At trial, the judge refused to instruct the jury that the “primary” or “ordinary” meaning of the word “slacker” was the evasion of military duty. A local newspaper viciously attacked him for this, accusing him of letting down the public and disgracing the “Hawaiian race.” Even worse, the article called Kahanamoku a “slacker.” Kahanamoku sued the newspaper for defamation. On or about October 29, 1919, Kahanamoku pulled out of a swimming exhibition due to muscle pain. Advertiser Publishingdemonstrated just how fast this changed occurred.ĭuke Kahanamoku was a world famous surfer, swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. Without an active draft, the explosive nature of the word “slacker” quickly diminished. The armistice with Germany was signed on November 11, 1918, effectively ending the war for the U.S. However, the holding amply reflects the universally understood poisonous import of “slacker” during that period. The Court ended up reversing the case on other grounds, namely that the real culprit had been a rogue employee not under the control of the company. Whether or not this would be so in time of peace we need not determine.” To falsely publish such an accusation of any person was manifestly libelous per se. During the war it was unquestionably a term of the severest reproach, well understood by all men, and calculated to subject its bearer to hatred and contempt in practically every community in the land. “ The word is not found in prewar lexicons, but had its genesis as to use and meaning in the conditions following our entrance into the World War. The Alabama Supreme Court resoundingly disagreed, holding: The company asserted that the word “slacker” was not so awful that it was defamatory per se (actionable without proof of specific harm), and the jury should have been so charged. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, and the company appealed. Lillich brought a defamation suit against the mining company. On July 18, 1918, while the war was raging, the words “List of slackers: John Lillich” were painted near the entrance to the Choctaw Coal mine in Walker County, Alabama. Send us feedback about these examples.Many libel cases arose from the use of the term “slacker” during the war, but perhaps the most well-known was Choctaw Coal & Mining Co. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'city slicker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Joanne Engelhardt, The Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2019 Pat Tyler’s homespun frocks, as well as smart suits for the city slickers of Asheville, mesh beautifully with the warp and woof of the people of bluegrass country. 2020 The ace gunfighter Tom Doniphon, played by John Wayne, scoffs at him for being a city slicker who doesn’t understand how things work out here on the frontier, and advises him to get a gun. 2019 More than one city slicker has been awestruck when gazing up at thousands of twinkling lights.ġ5. 2020 Metal-head friends Wayne and Garth sell their basement cable-access TV show to a city slicker. 2020 Another big Texas ranch has traded but the buyer isn’t the usually city slicker or wannabe cowboy. 2022 Yet despite this, rural Africans are more likely to vote than city slickers, by 77% to 67%. 2021 Seriously stylish pairs from Gucci, Jimmy Choo, and Isabel Marant work best for the city slicker rather than the skier. Recent Examples on the Web Metal-head friends Wayne and Garth sell their basement cable-access TV show to a city slicker.
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