sliding scale
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noun
Date: 1842
1. a wage scale geared to the selling price of the product or to the consumer price index but usually guaranteeing a minimum below which the wage will not fall
2.
a. a system for raising or lowering tariffs in accord with price changes
b. a flexible scale (as of fees or subsidies) adjusted to the needs or income of individuals <the sliding scale of medical fees>
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
Look at other dictionaries:
sliding scale — ➔ scale * * * sliding scale UK US noun [C, usually singular] TAX, ACCOUNTING, FINANCE ► a system for deciding payments or rates so that they change in relation to particular conditions: »He is considering a sliding scale of fees for wealthier… … Financial and business terms
Sliding scale — Sliding Slid ing, a. 1. That slides or slips; gliding; moving smoothly. [1913 Webster] 2. Slippery; elusory. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] That sliding science hath me made so bare. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] {Sliding friction} (Mech.), the resistance one… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sliding scale — n [C usually singular] a system for calculating how much you pay for taxes, medical treatment etc, in which the amount that you pay changes according to different conditions on a sliding scale ▪ Fees are calculated on a sliding scale … Dictionary of contemporary English
sliding scale — sliding scales N COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n, on a N Payments such as wages or taxes that are calculated on a sliding scale are higher or lower depending on various different factors. Many practitioners have a sliding scale of fees for those who… … English dictionary
sliding scale — ► NOUN ▪ a scale of fees, wages, etc., that varies in accordance with the variation of some standard … English terms dictionary
sliding scale — n. a standard or schedule, as of costs, wages, fees, tariff rates, etc., that varies in accordance with given conditions or standards, as cost of living, level of income, etc … English World dictionary
sliding scale — noun a wage scale that fluctuates in response to the cost of living index • Hypernyms: ↑wage scale, ↑wage schedule * * * noun, pl ⋯ scales [count] : a system in which the amount that people are required to pay in fees, taxes, etc., changes… … Useful english dictionary
sliding scale — UK [ˌslaɪdɪŋ ˈskeɪl] / US noun [countable] Word forms sliding scale : singular sliding scale plural sliding scales a system of making payments or paying taxes where the amount that you pay changes according to a fixed set of rates The doctor has… … English dictionary
sliding scale — slid|ing scale [ ,slaıdıŋ skeıl ] noun count a system of making payments or paying taxes where the amount you pay changes according to a fixed set of rates: The doctor has a sliding scale of fees based on patients income … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
sliding scale — 1. a variable scale, esp. of industrial costs, as wages, that may be adapted to changes in demand. 2. a wage scale varying with the selling price of goods produced, the cost of living, or profits. 3. a price scale, as of medical fees, in which… … Universalium
