What is "slump"

Slump \Slump\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Slumped; p. pr. & vb. n. Slumping.] [Scot. slump a dull noise produced by something falling into a hole, a marsh, a swamp.]

1. To fall or sink suddenly through or in, when walking on a surface, as on thawing snow or ice, partly frozen ground, a bog, etc., not strong enough to bear the person.

   The latter walk on a bottomless quag, into which unawares they may slump.
   --Barrow.

2. To slide or slip on a declivity, so that the motion is perceptible; -- said of masses of earth or rock.

3. To undergo a slump, or sudden decline or falling off; as, the stock slumped ten points. [Colloq.]

Slump \Slump\, n. [Cf. D. slomp a mass, heap, Dan. slump a quantity, and E. slump, v.t.] The gross amount; the mass; the lump. [Scot.]

Slump \Slump\, v. t. [Cf. Lump; also Sw. slumpa to bargain for the lump.] To lump; to throw into a mess.

These different groups . . . are exclusively slumped together under that sense.
--Sir W. Hamilton.

Slump \Slump\, n.

1. A boggy place. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

2. The noise made by anything falling into a hole, or into a soft, miry place. [Scot.]

3. A falling or declining, esp. suddenly and markedly; a falling off; as, a slump in trade, in stock market prices, in a batter's average, etc. [Colloq.]

1670s, "fall or sink into a muddy place," probably from a Scandinavian source such as Norwegian and Danish slumpe "fall upon," Swedish slumpa; perhaps ultimately of imitative origin. Related: Slumped; slumping.\n\nThe word "slump," or "slumped," has too coarse a sound to be used by a lady.

[Eliza Leslie, "Miss Leslie's Behaviour Book," Philadelphia, 1839]

"act of slumping, slumping movement," 1850; "heavy decline in prices on the stock exchange," 1888, from slump (v.). Generalized by 1922 to "sharp decline in trade or business."

n. 1 A heavy or helpless collapse; a slouching or drooping posture; a period of poor activity or performance, especially an extended period. 2 (context Scotland UK dialect English) A boggy place. 3 (context Scotland English) The noise made by anything falling into a hole, or into a soft, miry place. 4 (context Scotland English) The gross amount; the mass; the lump. vb. 1 (lb en intransitive) To collapse heavily or helplessly. 2 (lb en intransitive) To decline or fall off in activity or performance.

1. n. a noticeable deterioration in performance or quality; "the team went into a slump"; "a gradual slack in output"; "a drop-off in attendance"; "a falloff in quality" [syn: slack, drop-off, falloff, falling off]

2. a long-term economic state characterized by unemployment and low prices and low levels of trade and investment [syn: depression, economic crisis]

3. v. assume a drooping posture or carriage [syn: slouch]

4. fall or sink heavily; "He slumped onto the couch"; "My spirits sank" [syn: slide down, sink]

5. fall heavily or suddenly; decline markedly; "The real estate market fell off" [syn: fall off, sink]

6. go down in value; "the stock market corrected"; "prices slumped" [syn: decline, correct]

Slump may refer to:

• Slump (geology), a form of mass wasting event that occurs when loosely consolidated materials or rock layers move a short distance down a slope
• Slump (sports), a period in which a player or team performs below par
• Slump (economics), better known as a recession
• Slump (food), a variety of cobbler
• Sophomore slump, a failed second effort following a successful introduction
• Senior slump, decreased motivation during a final year of studies
• Retirement slump, the average falloff in the party’s vote when the incumbent retires
• Slumping, a categorical description of an area of techniques for the forming of glass by applying heat to the point where the glass becomes plastic
• Dr. Slump, anime and manga, character
• Slump (concrete), refers to the workability of a concrete mixture and is determined by use of the concrete slump test.

A slump is a form of mass wasting that occurs when a coherent mass of loosely consolidated materials or rock layers moves a short distance down a slope. Movement is characterized by sliding along a concave-upward or planar surface. Causes of slumping include earthquake shocks, thorough wetting, freezing and thawing, undercutting, and loading of a slope.

Translational slumps occur when a detached landmass moves along a planar surface. Common planar surfaces of failure include joints or bedding planes, especially where a permeable layer overrides an impermeable surface. Block slumps are a type of translational slump in which one or more related block units move downslope as a relatively coherent mass.

Rotational slumps occur when a slump block, composed of sediment or rock, slides along a concave-upward slip surface with rotation about an axis parallel to the slope. Rotational movement causes the original surface of the block to become less steep, and the top of the slump is rotated backward. This results in internal deformation of the moving mass consisting chiefly of overturned folds called sheath folds.

Slumps have several characteristic features. The cut which forms as the landmass breaks away from the slope is called the scarp and is often cliff-like and concave. In rotational slumps, the main slump block often breaks into a series of secondary slumps and associated scarps to form stairstep pattern of displaced blocks. The upper surface of the blocks are rotated backwards, forming depressions which may accumulate water to create ponds or swampy areas. The surface of the detached mass often remains relatively undisturbed, especially at the top. However, hummocky ridges may form near the toe of the slump. Addition of water and loss of sediment cohesion at the toe may transform slumping material into an earthflow. Transverse cracks at the head scarp drain water, possibly killing vegetation. Transverse ridges, transverse cracks and radial cracks form in displaced material on the foot of the slump.

Slumps frequently form due to removal of a slope base, either from natural or manmade processes. Stream or wave erosion, as well as road construction are common instigators for slumping. It is the removal of the slope's physical support which provokes this mass wasting event. Thorough wetting is a common cause, which explains why slumping is often associated with heavy rainfall, storm events and earthflows. Rain provides lubrication for the material to slide, and increases the self-mass of the material. Both factors increase the rate of slumping. Earthquakes also trigger massive slumps, such as the fatal slumps of Turnagain Heights Subdivision in Anchorage, Alaska. This particular slump was initiated by a magnitude 8.4 earthquake that resulted in liquefaction of the soil. Around 75 houses were destroyed by the Turnagain Slump. Power lines, fences, roads, houses, and other manmade structures may be damaged if in the path of a slump.

The speed of slump varies widely, ranging from meters per second, to meters per year. Sudden slumps usually occur after earthquakes or heavy continuing rains, and can stabilize within a few hours. Most slumps develop over comparatively longer periods, taking months or years to reach stability. An example of a slow-moving slump is the Swift Creek Landslide, a deep-seated rotational slump located on Sumas Mountain, Washington.

Slumps may also occur underwater along the margins of continents and islands, resulting from tidal action or a large seismic event. These submarine slumps can generate disastrous tsunamis. The underwater terrain which encompasses the Hawaiian Islands gains its unusual hummocky topography from the many slumps that have taken place for millions of years.

One of the largest known slumps occurred on the south-eastern edge of the Agulhas Bank south of Africa in the Pliocene or more recently. This so-called Agulhas Slump is long, wide, and has a volume of . It is a composite slump with proximal and distal allochthonous sediment masses separated by a large glide plane scar.

In sports, a slump is a period when player or team is not performing well or up to expectations. It is essentially a dry spell or drought, though it is often misused to define a player's decline that is natural during their career.

There are various theories behind the cause of a slump. Some attribute it simply to the reasons behind a gambler's bad luck. While a player's or team's average collective statistics over a career or season may be quite respectable, there may be peak times when performance is really spectacular, while there are also expected low points with an inevitable drought.

Others believe there are psychological issues behind a slump. At times, a player, or all the key players on a team, may feel less motivated or may not be adept to handling clutch situations.