low speed, high drag

adjective

Slow and steady.

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Meanings

adjectivelow speed, high drag (not comparable)
  1. informalnot comparableSlow and steady.

    Spoilers, as well as flaps, help to achieve the low-speed, high-drag descent which is always desirable in a jet transport.

    1959 August, Marius Lodeesen, “Emergency procedure for civil jets”, in Flying Magazine, volume 65, number 2, page 34
    3 more examples

    The use of boundary-layer control to increase the lift of a wing normally results in reductions in landing approach speeds to such an extent that the airplane operates in a low-speed high-drag range where more thrust is required as speed is reduced .

    (Can we date this quote?), Foriteth Annual Report of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, page 21

    Modern high-speed, low-drag wind electric generators are a far cry from the relatively low speed, high-drag water pumping windmills that are still a common sight in many parts of the country.

    1988, Martin L. Greenwald, Residential Energy Systems and Climate Control Technology, page 1

    However, increases in fuel burn by aircraft making turns at low altitudes, where the aircraft are in a low-speed, high drag configuration, can adversely affect aircraft operating margins.

    2020, Sanford Fidell, Vincent Mestre, A Guide To U.S. Aircraft Noise Regulatory Policy, page 96
  2. informalnot comparableNot functioning very well; clueless or inefficient.

    The students usually enter the course at a dependent level which is what we at the academy label , "low speed - high drag."

    1993, Military Intelligence - Issue 2, page 52
    2 more examples

    Like all OBC classes, I'm sure she received her share of low speed, high drag Arrrmy tng ! At least you had good company, Vick.

    1987, West Point Association of Graduates, “'87”, in Assembly, volume 46, page 150

    Afterwards, a lifer noncom would go ape shit over his low-speed high-drag peons and plan a GI party, sometimes giving his half-stepping shamurai warriors instructions about dust bunnies and getting everything dress right dress while adjusting their headspace and timing in the front leaning rest position.

    2013, Scott Haraburda, Christian Controversies: Seeking the Truth, page 237

Origin

From the field of aviation, where wings and other exterior aircraft parts are designed to maximize drag and fuel, thus maximizing the craft's potential ordinance and time over its target.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

low speed, high drag. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/low%20speed%2C%20high%20drag

MLA

“low speed, high drag.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/low%20speed%2C%20high%20drag. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “low speed, high drag,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/low%20speed%2C%20high%20drag.

Source: low speed, high drag on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.