slowpoke / sneak / slow seller
Loading your saved state.
slowpoke
A person or vehicle that moves noticeably slowly and thereby obstructs or irritates others.
Auf der Landstraße hing ich ewig hinter so einem Schleicher fest.
On the country road, I was stuck behind a slowpoke like that forever.
sneak
A person who moves quietly and unnoticed, often with a secretive or malicious intention.
Der Detektiv beobachtete den Schleicher, der sich an das Haus heranschlich.
The detective watched the sneak who was creeping up to the house.
slow seller
In retail jargon, a product that sells very slowly and stays in stock for a long time.
Dieses Buchmodell ist ein echter Schleicher, wir haben seit Monaten keins verkauft.
This book model is a real slow seller; we haven't sold one in months.
'Der Schleicher' comes directly from the verb 'schleichen' (to creep/sneak). The verb means to move slowly or secretly, which explains the different meanings of the noun.
Die Katze schleicht leise durch den Garten.
The cat creeps quietly through the garden.
The meaning becomes clear from the context. In traffic, it is a slow vehicle. In a scary story, it is a sneaky person. In business, it is a poorly selling product.
Dieser LKW ist ein echter Schleicher auf der Autobahn.
This truck is a real slowpoke on the highway.
In the meaning 'slow vehicle or person', the word is colloquial. It is often used when you are annoyed with someone who is holding up traffic.
Ich habe wegen eines Schleichers vor mir den Bus verpasst.
I missed the bus because of a slowpoke in front of me.
The meaning 'poorly selling product' is technical language from retail and marketing. In normal everyday life, the word is not used this way.
Wir müssen unsere Schleicher im Lager durch eine Rabattaktion loswerden.
We need to get rid of our slow sellers in the warehouse with a discount campaign.
