Definition of the word slop out

The phrase "slop out" originated from the military barracks in the late 19th century. It referred to the daily ritual of emptying the toilet pails or chamber pots that were used before the installation of plumbing facilities. Before modern conveniences, soldiers and prisoners would relieve themselves into individual containers made of metal or earthenware, which were then emptied and cleaned by the barracks staff or inmates themselves. The process of emptying these containers, typically once a day, was known as "slopping out" or "slopping out the slops." The term "slop out" was also used in the context of meals served in mess halls or dining rooms, especially in naval settings, where leftover food scraps were collected together as "slops" and fed to livestock or dumped overboard. However, the primary usage of the word remained to describe the act of cleaning out chamber pots in military barracks, as it was an unpleasant and labor-intensive duty for many years of military history.