1. v. & n.
--v. (slipped, slipping)
1. intr. slide unintentionally esp. for a short distance; lose one's footing or balance or place by unintended sliding.
2 intr. go or move with a sliding motion (as the door closes the catch slips into place; slipped into her nightdress).
3 intr. escape restraint or capture by being slippery or hard to hold or by not being grasped (the eel slipped through his fingers).
4 intr. make one's or its way unobserved or quietly or quickly (just slip across to the baker's; errors will slip in).
5 intr. a make a careless or casual mistake. b fall below the normal standard, deteriorate, lapse.
6 tr. insert or transfer stealthily or casually or with a sliding motion (slipped a coin into his hand; slipped the papers into his pocket).
7 tr. a release from restraint (slipped the greyhounds from the leash). b detach (an anchor) from a ship. c Brit. detach (a carriage) from a moving train. d release (the clutch of a motor vehicle) for a moment. e (of an animal) produce (young) prematurely.
8 tr. move (a stitch) to the other needle without knitting it.
9 tr. (foll. by on, off) pull (a garment) hastily on or off.
10 tr. escape from; give the slip to (the dog slipped its collar; point slipped my mind).
--n.
1. the act or an instance of slipping.
2 an accidental or slight error.
3 a loose covering or garment, esp. a petticoat or pillowcase.
4 a a reduction in the movement of a pulley etc. due to slipping of the belt. b a reduction in the distance travelled by a ship or aircraft arising from the nature of the medium in which its propeller revolves.
5 (in sing. or pl.) a an artificial slope of stone etc. on which boats are landed. b an inclined structure on which ships are built or repaired.
6 Cricket a a fielder stationed for balls glancing off the bat to the off side. b (in sing. or pl.) the position of such a fielder (caught in the slips; caught at slip).
7 a leash to slip dogs.
Phrases and idioms:
give a person the slip escape from or evade him or her. let slip
1. release accidentally or deliberately, esp. from a leash.
2 miss (an opportunity).
3 utter inadvertently. let slip the dogs of war poet. open hostilities.
let slip through one's fingers
1. lose hold of.
2 miss the opportunity of having. slip away depart without leave-taking etc. slip-carriage Brit. a railway carriage on an express for detaching at a station where the rest of the train does not stop. slip-case a close-fitting case for a book. slip-coach Brit. slip-carriage.
slip-cover
1. a a calico etc. cover for furniture out of use. b US loose cover.
2 a jacket or slip-case for a book. slip form a mould in which a structure of uniform cross-section is cast by filling it with concrete and continually moving and refilling it. slip-hook a hook with a contrivance for releasing it readily when necessary.
slip-knot
1. a knot that can be undone by a pull.
2 a running knot. slip off depart without leave-taking etc. slip of the pen (or tongue) a small mistake in which something is written (or said) unintentionally. slip-on adj. (of shoes or clothes) that can be easily slipped on and off.
--n. a slip-on shoe or garment. slip-over (of a garment) to be slipped on over the head. slipped disc a disc between vertebrae that has become displaced and causes lumbar pain. slip-ring a ring for sliding contact in a dynamo or electric motor. slip-road Brit. a road for entering or leaving a motorway etc. slip-rope Naut. a rope with both ends on board so that casting loose either end frees the ship from her moorings. slip sheet Printing a sheet of paper placed between newly printed sheets to prevent set-off or smudging. slip something over on colloq. outwit. slip-stitch n.
1. a loose stitch joining layers of fabric and not visible externally.
2 a stitch moved to the other needle without being knitted.
--v.tr. sew with slip-stitch. slip up colloq. make a mistake. slip-up n. colloq. a mistake, a blunder. there's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip nothing is certain till it has happened.
Etymology: ME prob. f. MLG slippen: cf. SLIPPERY 2. n.1 a a small piece of paper esp. for writing on. b a long narrow strip of thin wood, paper, etc. c a printer's proof on such paper; a galley proof.
2 a cutting taken from a plant for grafting or planting, a scion.
Phrases and idioms:
slip of a small and slim (a slip of a girl).
Etymology: ME, prob. f. MDu., MLG slippe cut, strip, etc. 3. n. clay in a creamy mixture with water, used mainly for decorating earthenware.
Phrases and idioms:
slip casting the manufacture of ceramic ware by allowing slip to solidify in a mould. slip-ware ware decorated with slip.
Etymology: OE slipa, slyppe slime: cf. COWSLIP