drag through the mud vs slander

drag through the mud is not a noun while slander is a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
drag through the mud	No	No	Yes	No
slander	Yes	No	Yes	No

As verbs, slander is a hypernym of drag through the mud; that is, slander is a word with a broader meaning than drag through the mud:

drag through the mud: speak unfavorably about
slander: charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

Other hypernyms of drag through the mud include asperse, besmirch, calumniate, defame, denigrate, smear, smirch, sully.

drag through the mud (noun)	slander (noun)
	an abusive attack on a person's character or good name
	words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another

drag through the mud (verb)	slander (verb)
speak unfavorably about	charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone