slops

Slops is a plural noun with several meanings, depending on context. In agriculture and waste management, slops refer to mixed food waste and washings that may be collected from kitchens and households and used as animal feed, especially for pigs. This material can include kitchen scraps, spoiled produce, and liquid residues. Slops are sometimes stored in designated tanks or buckets and fed to livestock under local regulations designed to manage waste, odors, and disease risk. In some farming systems, slop-fed animals are a traditional use of household waste, though practices vary by region and safety standards.

In maritime and naval contexts, slops denotes clothing and other basic provisions issued to sailors through a slop chest. Slops traditionally encompassed inexpensive, everyday garments such as loose trousers, shirts, jackets, and occasionally bedding. The term reflects a supply system in which crew members could purchase or exchange essential items at relatively low cost. While modern fleets may use different provisioning practices, the concept of the slop chest persists in historical or ceremonial references and in some contemporary navies and merchant fleets.

In broader or informal usage, slops can describe discarded or waste liquids arising from cooking or food processing, or any sloppily mixed liquids. The sense tends to be non-technical and context-dependent. Etymologically, slop derives from the sense of spilling or mixing liquids, and its various meanings have evolved separately in agricultural, maritime, and everyday language.