SLIPPERY

slippery, slippy

(adjective) causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide; “slippery sidewalks”; “a slippery bar of soap”; “the streets are still slippy from the rain”

slippery, tricky

(adjective) not to be trusted; “how extraordinarily slippery a liar the camera is”- James Agee

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

slippery (comparative slipperier, superlative slipperiest)

Of a surface, having low friction, often due to being covered in a non-viscous liquid, and therefore hard to grip, hard to stand on without falling, etc.

(figuratively, by extension) Evasive; difficult to pin down.

(obsolete) Liable to slip; not standing firm.

Unstable; changeable; inconstant.

(obsolete) Wanton; unchaste; loose in morals.

Synonyms

• (of a surface): greasy, slick, slimy, slippy, wet

Antonyms

• (of a surface): sticky

Source: Wiktionary


Slip"per*y, a. Etym: [See Slipper, a.]

1. Having the quality opposite to adhesiveness; allowing or causing anything to slip or move smoothly, rapidly, and easily upon the surface; smooth; glib; as, oily substances render things slippery.

2. Not affording firm ground for confidence; as, a slippery promise. The slippery tops of human state. Cowley.

3. Not easily held; liable or apt to slip away. The slippery god will try to loose his hold. Dryden.

4. Liable to slip; not standing firm. Shak.

5. Unstable; changeable; mutable; uncertain; inconstant; fickle. "The slippery state of kings." Denham.

6. Uncertain in effect. L'Estrange.

7. Wanton; unchaste; loose in morals. Shak. Slippery elm. (Bot.) (a) An American tree (Ulmus fulva) with a mucilagenous and slightly aromatic inner bark which is sometimes used medicinally; also, the inner bark itself. (b) A malvaceous shrub (Fremontia Californica); -- so called on the Pacific coast.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

23 November 2024

THEORETICAL

(adjective) concerned primarily with theories or hypotheses rather than practical considerations; “theoretical science”


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee has initially been a food – chewed, not sipped. Early African tribes consume coffee by grinding the berries together, adding some animal fat, and rolling the treats into tiny edible energy balls.

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