Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a general pej. term, a sneak, a skulker, a cheat; also as adj.

1816		Sir W. Scott Antiquary in Waverley (1855) II 87: He has na’ settled his account wi’ my gudeman the deacon for this twalmonth; he’s but slink, I doubt.
1845		W.T. Thompson Chronicles of Pineville 139: I despise a slink.
1857		Journal of Discourses V 225: Poor cursed slinks! do they not know that we were raised among them?
1860		Oregon Argus May 19 n.p.: A selfish, false-hearted, and malicious slink.
1872		Schele De Vere Americanisms 634: Slink, occurs but rarely, and means a sneaking fellow; it is evidently a derivative of sly.
1888		Springville Jrnl (NY) 16 Nov. 1/1: Slinks, the Outcast [...] Slinks wasa failure at everything except slinking.
1915		M.G. Hayden ‘Terms Of Disparagement’ in DN IV:iii 200: slink, a contemptible fellow. ‘I despise a slink.’ (Thorn.).
1935		Aberdeen Press & Jrnl 6 Feb. 5/1: [cartoon caption] One moonlight night Silas Slink crept out of his den.

2. (UK Und.) counterfeit money.

1835

Worcester Herald 26 Dec. 4/3: Slink, base money.