slaister

A Scottish dialect word with a cluster of related meanings all circling around messiness and sloppy work. As a noun it means a mess or a muddle — the kind of sticky, wet disorder that's unpleasant to deal with. As a verb it means to bedaub or smear something messily, or to do work in a slovenly, half-hearted way. The word has a squelchy, descriptive quality — it sounds like what it means. Still used in parts of Scotland, it carries vivid colloquial energy for anyone who knows it.