slippery

Everyday

1. Slippery means smooth, wet or icy so that it is hard to hold or to stand on without sliding. tree →
2. A slippery person cannot be trusted and is hard to catch or pin down. tree →

In the lessons

In safety, slippery floors, ice, wet rocks and mud cause falls: walk, do not run, near pools; wipe up spills; wear shoes with grip. Signs say «Caution: slippery floor». In science, slippery surfaces have low friction. Phrases: «slippery slope» (one small step that leads to worse things), «as slippery as an eel».

Examples

• The floor is slippery after mopping. tree →
• Walk carefully — the path is slippery with ice. tree →
• Don't run by the pool; it's slippery. tree →
• The fish was too slippery to hold. tree →
• Soap makes your hands slippery. tree →
• Wet leaves make the road slippery for bikes. tree →
• The rocks by the river are slippery. tree →
• The slippery thief escaped again. tree →
• The rock was slippery as a ball, and they had to crawl rather than climb. tree →

Note

Comparison: «more slippery» is more common, but «slipperier» is also seen. The verb is «slip». Spelled with double p. Low friction = slippery; high friction = grippy.

In Jewish tradition

Interpretation: The Psalms and Jeremiah use slippery places as a picture of the wicked falling into ruin. Tradition reads it as the wicked meeting the result of their own ways. In the primary lessons: In safety, slippery floors, ice, wet rocks and mud cause falls: walk, do not run, near pools; wipe up spills; wear shoes with grip. Signs say «Caution: slippery floor». In science, slippery surfaces have low friction. Phrases: «slippery slope» (one small step that leads to worse things), «as slippery as an eel».

Examples

• Let their way be dark and slippery, the angel of the LORD pursuing them. (Writings PSA.35.6, JPS 1917) tree →
• Surely Thou settest them in slippery places; Thou hurlest them down to utter ruin. (Writings PSA.73.18, JPS 1917) tree →
• Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery places in the darkness, they shall be thrust, and fall therein; for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD. (Prophets JER.23.12, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Comparison: «more slippery» is more common, but «slipperier» is also seen. The verb is «slip». Spelled with double p. Low friction = slippery; high friction = grippy.