Mack
How to Use Mack
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDepending on context: a smooth talker chatting someone up, the act of flirting, or (in British English) a short word for a raincoat.
The flirting sense is informal American slang; the raincoat sense is informal British English.
Word Forms
macked past tense, macks plural, macks plural, macks plural, macks plural, macks singular
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
His friends teased him for being such a _____ at parties.
Etymology
The raincoat sense is a shortening of mackintosh, named after inventor Charles Macintosh. The slang senses for smooth flirting likely trace back to "mack" meaning a pimp, itself from mackerel, an old slang term possibly linked to procuring.