Definition: slop

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Source: WordNet (r) 1.7 

slop
     n : wet feed (especially for pigs) consisting of mostly kitchen
         waste mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk [syn: slops,
          swill, pigswill, pigwash]
     v 1: cause or allow (a liquid substance) to run or flow from a
          container; "spill the milk";  "splatter water" [syn: spill,
           splatter]
     2: walk through mud or mire; "We had to splosh across the wet
        meadow" [syn: squelch, squish, splash, splosh, slosh]
     3: ladle clumsily; "slop the food onto the plate"
     4: feed pigs [syn: swill]

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) 

Slop \Slop\, v. i.
   To overflow or be spilled as a liquid, by the motion of the
   vessel containing it; -- often with over.
Slop \Slop\, n. [AS. slop a frock or over-garment, fr. sl?pan to
   slip, to slide; akin to Icel sloppr a thin garment; cf. OHG.
   slouf a garment. Cf. Slip, v. i.]
   1. Any kind of outer garment made of linen or cotton, as a
      night dress, or a smock frock. [Obs.] --Halliwell.

   2. A loose lower garment; loose breeches; chiefly used in the
      plural. ``A pair of slops.'' --Sir P. Sidney.

            There's a French salutation to your French slop.
                                                  --Shak.

   3. pl. Ready-made clothes; also, among seamen, clothing,
      bedding, and other furnishings.
Slop \Slop\, n. [OE. sloppe a pool; akin to As. sloppe, slyppe,
   the sloppy droppings of a cow; cf. AS. sl?pan to slip, and E.
   slip, v.i. Cf. Cowslip.]
   1. Water or other liquid carelessly spilled or thrown aboyt,
      as upon a table or a floor; a puddle; a soiled spot.

   2. Mean and weak drink or liquid food; -- usually in the
      plural.

   3. pl. Dirty water; water in which anything has been washed
      or rinsed; water from wash-bowls, etc.

   Slop basin, or Slop bowl, a basin or bowl for holding
      slops, especially for receiving the rinsings of tea or
      coffee cups at the table.

   Slop molding (Brickmaking), a process of manufacture in
      which the brick is carried to the drying ground in a wet
      mold instead of on a pallet.
Slop \Slop\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Slopped; p. pr. & vb. n.
   Slopping.]
   1. To cause to overflow, as a liquid, by the motion of the
      vessel containing it; to spill.

   2. To spill liquid upon; to soil with a liquid spilled.

Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (2003-OCT-10) 

slop

   <jargon> 1. A one-sided fudge factor, that is, an allowance
   for error but in only one of two directions.  For example, if
   you need a piece of wire 10 feet long and have to guess when
   you cut it, you make very sure to cut it too long, by a large
   amount if necessary, rather than too short by even a little
   bit, because you can always cut off the slop but you can't
   paste it back on again.  When discrete quantities are
   involved, slop is often introduced to avoid the possibility of
   being on the losing side of a fencepost error.

   2. The percentage of "extra" code generated by a compiler over
   the size of equivalent assembly code produced by
   hand-hacking; i.e. the space (or maybe time) you lose because
   you didn't do it yourself.  This number is often used as a
   measure of the quality of a compiler; slop below 5% is very
   good, and 10% is usually acceptable.  Modern compilers,
   especially on RISCs, may actually have *negative* slop; that
   is, they may generate better code than humans.  This is one of
   the reasons assembler programming is becoming less common.

   [Jargon File]

   (1995-05-28)

Source: Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) 

slop n. 1. A one-sided fudge factor, that is, an allowance for error
   but in only one of two directions. For example, if you need a piece of
   wire 10 feet long and have to guess when you cut it, you make very sure
   to cut it too long, by a large amount if necessary, rather than too
   short by even a little bit, because you can always cut off the slop but
   you can't paste it back on again. When discrete quantities are involved,
   slop is often introduced to avoid the possibility of being on the losing
   side of a fencepost error. 2. The percentage of `extra' code generated
   by a compiler over the size of equivalent assembler code produced by
   hand-hacking; i.e., the space (or maybe time) you lose because you
   didn't do it yourself. This number is often used as a measure of the
   goodness of a compiler; slop below 5% is very good, and 10% is usually
   acceptable. With modern compiler technology, esp. on RISC machines, the
   compiler's slop may actually be _negative_; that is, humans may be
   unable to generate code as good. This is one of the reasons assembler
   programming is no longer common.