Slippery

Slippery
Slippery Slip"per*y, a. [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. [1913 Webster]

2. Not affording firm ground for confidence; as, a slippery promise. [1913 Webster]

The slippery tops of human state. --Cowley. [1913 Webster]

3. Not easily held; liable or apt to slip away. [1913 Webster]

The slippery god will try to loose his hold. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

4. Liable to slip; not standing firm. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

5. Unstable; changeable; mutable; uncertain; inconstant; fickle. ``The slippery state of kings.'' --Denham. [1913 Webster]

6. Uncertain in effect. --L'Estrange. [1913 Webster]

7. Wanton; unchaste; loose in morals. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

{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. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • slippery — having a slippery surface, c.1500, from M.E. sliper (adj.), from O.E. slipor slippery (see SLIP (Cf. slip) (v.)) + Y (Cf. y) (2). Metaphoric sense of deceitful is first recorded 1550s. Related: Slipperiness. In a figurative sense, slippery slope… …   Etymology dictionary

  • slippery — [slip′ər ē, slip′rē] adj. slipperier, slipperiest [altered < ME sliper, slippery < OE slipor, akin to MHG slupferic: for IE base see SLIP1] 1. causing or liable to cause sliding or slipping, as a wet, waxed, or greasy surface 2. tending to… …   English World dictionary

  • slippery — [adj1] smooth, slick glacé, glassy, glazed, glistening, greasy, icy, like a skating rink*, lubricious, lustrous, perilous, polished, satiny, silky, sleek, slimy, soapy, unctuous, unsafe, unstable, unsteady, waxy, wet; concept 606 Ant. dry,… …   New thesaurus

  • slippery — index deceptive, elusive, evasive, insecure, machiavellian, perfidious, precarious, sly, undependable …   Law dictionary

  • slippery — ► ADJECTIVE 1) difficult to hold firmly or stand on through being smooth, wet, or slimy. 2) (of a person) evasive and unpredictable. 3) (of a word or concept) changing in meaning according to context or point of view. DERIVATIVES slipperiness… …   English terms dictionary

  • slippery — adj. VERBS ▪ be, feel, look ▪ become, get ▪ The concrete gets slippery when it s wet. ▪ make sth …   Collocations dictionary

  • slippery — slip|per|y [ˈslıpəri] adj [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: slipper slippery (11 19 centuries), from Old English slipor] 1.) something that is slippery is difficult to hold, walk on etc because it is wet or ↑greasy ▪ In places, the path can be wet and… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • slippery — [[t]slɪ̱pəri[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED Something that is slippery is smooth, wet, or oily and is therefore difficult to walk on or to hold. The tiled floor was wet and slippery... Motorists were warned to beware of slippery conditions. 2) ADJ GRADED… …   English dictionary

  • slippery — adjective 1 something that is slippery is difficult to hold, walk on etc because it is wet or greasy: Be careful! The floor s very slippery. 2 informal someone who is slippery cannot be trusted and usually manages to avoid being punished:… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • slippery — UK [ˈslɪpərɪ] / US [ˈslɪp(ə)rɪ] adjective Word forms slippery : adjective slippery comparative slipperier superlative slipperiest 1) a slippery surface, object etc is difficult to move on or to hold because it is smooth, wet, or covered in… …   English dictionary

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