Slate is a natural rock that forms in layers and is easy to split into flat sheets. It is often dark grey or blue-grey in color. People use it to make roofs, floors, and garden paths.
The old house had a slate roof.
Workers cut the slate into thin pieces.
Before notebooks and paper were widely available, children at school wrote on small slate boards using a special chalk or slate pencil. The writing could be wiped off easily and the board used again. This is where the phrase 'clean slate' comes from.
The child wrote her name on the slate.
Students used slates before paper was common.
Slate is also used as a color name to describe a dark, muted blue-grey tone. This color is popular in interior design and fashion. You will often see it written as 'slate grey' or 'slate blue'.
She painted the walls a cool shade of slate.
He wore a slate-grey jacket to work.
In politics, especially in American English, a 'slate' refers to the official list of people a political party selects to represent them in an election. The term suggests a group of candidates running together as a team. It is widely used in news and political discussions.
The party announced its slate of candidates yesterday.
She was added to the slate for the local election.
When something is 'slated' to happen, it means it has been officially planned or scheduled. This use is very common in news writing and business English. For example, a film, project, or event can be 'slated' for a future date.
The new movie is slated for release next month.
The meeting is slated to begin at nine.
In British English, to 'slate' someone means to criticize them very harshly, often in public or in the media. This meaning is most common in the UK and is used for books, films, performances, or people. It implies the criticism is strong and negative.
The critics slated the new film badly.
His performance was slated by every reviewer.
A 'slate' can refer to a record of past actions, mistakes, or debts. The most common idiom is 'clean slate,' which means starting over with no past mistakes counting against you. This comes from the old school slates that could be wiped clean and reused.
He wanted a clean slate after leaving prison.
Let us start fresh with a clean slate today.
In construction, individual 'slates' are the separate thin flat pieces cut from the rock and used as tiles on roofs or floors. A roofer may replace single slates that crack or break. This meaning focuses on the individual pieces rather than the rock material itself.
A slate fell from the roof during the storm.
The builder replaced three broken slates.
In the film and television industry, a 'slate' is the board (also called a clapperboard or clapper) that is held in front of the camera at the beginning of a scene. It shows the scene number, take number, and other information to help editors organize footage. The word comes from the original use of actual slate boards for this purpose.
The assistant held up the slate before filming.
The director called for the slate before each take.
