释义 |
▪ I. slap, n.1|slæp| [a. LG. slapp (also slappe; G. schlapp and schlappe), of imitative origin: cf. slap adv. Older Da. slap is also from LG.] The apparent instances in Arthur & Merlin (1838) 8084, Pallad. on Husb. (1873) iv. 763, Palsgr. 563, and Milton Colasterion, are errors for flap: see flap n. 1 and 1 b. 1. a. A smart blow, esp. one given with the open hand, or with something having a flat surface; a smack; an impact of this nature. slap on the back (or shoulder): as a hearty gesture of friendship or congratulation. Also fig. Cf. back-slapping ppl. a. and vbl. n.
1648Hexham ii, Flabbe, a Slash, or a Slap with a sword on the face. 1709Steele Tatler No. 45 ⁋7 One..got behind me in the Interim, and hit me a sound Slap on the Back. 1726–46Thomson Winter 627 The leap, the slap, the haul. 1767Bickerstaffe Love in the City i. ii, If we had not been in church, I would have hit her a slap in the face. 1820W. Irving Sketch Bk. vi. 94 His hospitable attentions were brief, but expressive, being confined to a shake of the hand, a slap on the shoulder..and a pressing invitation to ‘reach to, and help themselves’. 1831Scott Cast. Dang. xviii, Not believing, that the knowledge..can be at once conferred by the slap of the flat of a sword. c1850Arab. Nts. (Rtldg.) 294 She seized her nurse's head, and gave her repeated slaps and blows. 1863G. Meredith Let. 19 Feb. (1970) I. 193 Did you say in it you are sorry for your virulent offensive letter that I received?.. If so, a slap on the back and we're friends again. 1882B. D. W. Ramsay Rough Recoll. I. ix. 216, I felt a slap on my back which nearly sent me down the companion-ladder. 1883Stevenson Treasure Isl. viii. 62 He seemed in the most cheerful spirits..with a merry word or a slap on the shoulder for the most favoured of his guests. 1929L. MacNeice Blind Fireworks 5 There are lines which may, by the incautious, be (wrongly) read in a merry slap-on-the-back fashion. b. A cut or stroke of something. rare—1.
1688Holme Armoury iii. xxi. (Roxb.) 267/1 They can cutt through many wyers together at one slap of the sheares. c. at a slap, all at once.
1753Gray's Inn Jrnl. No. 59, Loosing Ten Thousand Pounds at a Slap. 1820Blackw. Mag. VII. 676 But we are losing our time in describing, Here at a slap we throw the whole tribe in. d. A gust of wind.
1890Clark Russell Marriage at Sea v, A slap of wind carried pretty nigh half the mast over the side. e. slap and tickle: (a bout of) light amorous play.
1928E. Robertson Cullum ix. 178 She gave me a playful push... She was one of the dreadful type that Cullum called ‘slap-and-tickle’ girls. 1936N. Coward To-Night at 8.30 77 She won't [come back]—she's out having a bit of slap and tickle with our Albert. 1958‘N. Shute’ Rainbow & Rose vi. 243 When I want a bit of slap and tickle I'll arrange it for myself, thank you. 1977C. McCullough Thorn Birds x. 236 He'd woo her the way she obviously wanted, flowers and attention and not too much slap-and-tickle. f. Mech. = piston slap s.v. piston n. 4.
1930Engineering 7 Mar. 304/1 Large engines..used,..until recently,..cast-iron pistons. This is because of required durability..and because of expansion troubles—slap, leakage, &c. 2. transf. a. A reprimand, reproof; a spoken or written attack or censure; a side-hit. Esp. in phrs. a slap in (or † on) the face, slap in the eye, slap on the wrist.
1736Duchess of Marlborough Opin. in Corresp. (1838) II. 207, I could easily forgive him [Swift] all the slaps he has given me and the Duke of Marlborough. 1791Burke Corr. (1844) III. 30 You see on what topics they chose to magnify him [Foxe] at York. It is a slap at me. 1853Darwin in Life & Lett. (1887) II. 41, I much enjoyed the slaps you have given to the provincial species-monger. 1861T. A. Trollope La Beata II. 135 [He] could not help feeling severely the very vigorous slap on the face which had been administered to him. 1895Lloyd George Let. 3 June (1973) 85 So there's another slap in the eye for the Bryn party. 1898G. B. Shaw Philanderer i. 96 I'll have to apologize for her... Her going away is a downright slap in the face for these people. 1914Dialect Notes IV. 112 Slap on the wrist, mild rebuke or criticism. 1920D. H. Lawrence Touch & Go 5 How much will you give me for my syllogism? Not a slap in the eye, I hope. 1932L. Golding Magnolia Street ii. iii. 308 The Great War was..a slap in the face, quite simply. 1966Economist 26 Feb. 801/1 The Administration has been trying to choke off North Vietnam's supplies for some time... The latest move—a ‘slap on the wrist’, according to the dockers—has been to blacklist ships which visit Haiphong. 1970P. Carlon Death by Demonstration vi. 73 All she said was, ‘I don't want to talk about it.’ That was as good as a slap in the eye. 1977Rolling Stone 7 Apr. 17/3 We think we can get Anita off with a fine and a slap on the wrist, but the thing with Keith is much more serious. 1979Guardian 17 Jan. 1/4 Industry will regard action to tighten price control..as a slap in the face. b. An attempt, venture, go, at something.
1840A. Bunn Stage before & behind Curtain III. 38 Enabled me to have a slap at the pretenders. 1855Smedley H. Coverdale i. 5 We mean to have a slap at the rabbits. 1884‘H. Collingwood’ Under Meteor Flag 270 Come, lads!..take another slap at them; we must get on deck somehow. 1890‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 417 He dashed off to Adelaide for a slap at copper. c. A quick trip or dash.
1901P. Fountain Deserts N. Amer. ix. 163, I..collected the wherewithal for another slap across country.
[1.] [a.] After ‘an impact of this nature’ read: Also, the sound of this.
1940W. van T. Clark Ox-Bow Incident iii. 195 Even in the wind you could hear the horses snort about it, and the slap of leather and the jangle of jerked bits. 1969E. Brathwaite in Ramchand & Gray West Indian Poetry (1972) 78 Slap of the leather reins Along the horse's back and he'd be off. 1985M. Gee Light Years vi. 72 Davey shut up his Time Out with a slap. g. Jazz slang (orig. U.S.). The percussive sound made when the strings of a double-bass strike the fingerboard in slap-bass playing; the technique itself, ellipt. for slap-bass s.v. slap v.1 11. Cf. slap v. 1 e.
1934R. P. Dodge in Hound & Horn VII. 600 The remaining instruments, bass, fiddle, guitar, banjo and tuba..have contributed..a few individual elements such as the ‘slap’ of the bass. 1984Sounds 29 Dec. 37 (Advt.), Bass course series..Slap and Funk. 3. [Prob. f. slap v.1 3.] Theatrical make-up, as rouge, grease-paint, etc.; also transf. more generally: any cosmetic make-up, esp. applied thickly or carelessly. slang (orig. Theatr.).
1860Hotten Dict. Slang (ed. 2) 217 Slap, paint for the face, rouge. 1885‘Corin’ Truth about Stage iv. 101 Have you got a bit of slap (colour) to give me? a1890Sporting Times in Barrère & Leland Dict. Slang (1890) II. 253/1 She nullified the virtues of her toilet preparations; Or in other words, she doctored Maudie's slap. 1904W. S. Maugham Merry-go-Round 273 ‘I surmised that you were in some trouble,’ murmured Miss Ley, ‘for I think you've rather overdone the—slap. Isn't that the technical expression?’ 1956A. Wilson Anglo-Saxon Att. ii. iii. 387 Many of Vin's guests came in costume with plenty of slap. 1960J. R. Ackerley We think the World of You 110 She was all dolled up, her face thick with slap. 1972B. Rodgers Queen's Vernacular 183 Slap (Brit gay sl, fr dated cant) face makeup ‘Are you forty under all that slap?’ 1989Daily Tel. (Weekend Suppl.) 6 May p. iii/1 ‘Do you mind if I put my slap on while we talk?’ she says, proceeding to do so with an efficiency that speaks of years in crowded dressing rooms. 1990Q Mar. 28/3 Lloyd Cole is having his slap applied. ‘In a perfect world,’ he muses, eyes shut, ‘I'd have a make-up artist and a dresser sort me out every morning.’ ▪ II. slap, n.2 Sc. Also 5–7 slop, 5–6 slope. [a. MDu. or MLG. slop: cf. Du. and LG. slop, LG. slup(p, MG. slupf, G. schlupf (dial. schluff, schloff), opening, gap, narrow passage, hiding-place, etc. The change of o into a before p is normal in Sc.; cf. drap drop, tap top, etc. It is possible that slope and sloppes in the alliterative Morte Arthure 2977 and 3923 belong to this word, but in neither passage is the sense quite clear.] 1. A breach, opening, or gap in a wall, fence, hedge, etc. α1375Barbour Bruce viii. 179 Bot sloppis in the vay left he, So large, and of sic quantite, That fyffe hundir mycht sammyn ryde In at the sloppis, syde for syde. c1425Wyntoun Chron. v. xi. 3256 Þan þar fais..Sloppis in syndry placis made. 1513Douglas æneid ii. viii. 77 He..throw the ȝet ane large wyndo mackis; By the quhilk slop the place within apperis. 1549Compl. Scot. xvi. 140 Lyik..scheip that vil nocht pas throucht the slop of ane dyik. βa1575Diurn. Occurr. (Bann. Cl.) 264 [They] dischargit the said cannone oft tymes thairat and maid greit slappis in the wall. 1629Orkney Witch Trial in County Folk-Lore III. (1903) 110 Quhen he was cuming to Birssay with hir out of the slap. 1686Records of Elgin (New Spald. Cl.) I. 339 Throwing down ane slap in the Trinity Churchyard dyke lately builded up be the magistrats. 1762Bp. Forbes Jrnl. (1886) 241 Here you see a Slap, then a Stone hanging over, as portending its Speedy Fall. 1783Burns Poor Mailie 37 To slink thro' slaps, an' reave an' steal, At stacks o' pease. 1815Scott Guy M. i, His guide..then broke down a slap, as he called it, in a dry-stone fence. 1875W. McIlwraith Guide Wigtownshire 140 Slaps in the dykes admit easy ingress and egress. b. An opening or passage left in a salmon-cruive from Saturday evening to Monday morning, in order to allow the fish to pass; the period during which this is left open; the weekly close time for salmon. Freq. in Saturday('s) slap.
1424Scott. Acts (1814) II. 5 Þai þat has crufis in fresche watteris þat þai ger keip þe lawis anentis þe setterday slop, and suffer þaim nocht to stande in forbodyne tyme. 1597Skene De Verb. Sign. S ij, The Setter-dayis slop, is ane space of time, within the quhilk it is nocht leasum to take Salmonde fish. 1622Malynes Anc. Law-Merch. 246 And albeit some are permitted to lays nets, and to make weares, yet must he keep the Saturdaies slop, that is, to lift the same from Saturday in the afternoone vntill Monday. 1851G. H. Kingsley Sp. & Trav. (1900) 275 On Sunday afternoon, when the ‘Slaps’ are open. 1876Maxwell in Francis Angling x. (ed. 4) 349 The Luce is terribly netted; the fish slaps are sometimes built up. 1900Westm. Gaz. 7 Aug. 2/1, ‘I should like to have your opinion on the weekly close time.’ ‘The ‘Saturday slap’, I suppose you mean.’ c. ? A break in the clouds; a patch of sky.
1508Dunbar Golden Targe 26 The purpur hevyn our scailit in silvir sloppis Ourgilt the treis. d. A narrow pass between hills or mountains.
1715Pennecuik Tweeddale 10 The Water of Line hath its first Spring near the Coldstaine Slap. 1721Ramsay Ode to the Ph― i, O'er ilka cleugh, ilk scar and slap. 1897Crockett Lads' Love xiv, They passed through the ‘buchts’ and ‘slaps’ of the Galloway hills. 2. transf. A breach in, or way through, a body of troops; a gap in the ranks.
c1470Henry Wallace ix. 949 Sloppys thai maid throu all that chewalry, The worthy Scottis thai wrocht so worthely. Ibid. x. 310 A slop thai maid, quhar thai set on a syd. 1533Bellenden Livy ii. xxi. (S.T.S.) I. 218 Be force of al þare bodyis and wapynnys..þai made ane slop throw þare Inemyis. 1867A. Dawson Rambling Recoll. (1868) 38 These triumphs made many slaps in the ranks of the regiment. †3. A gash or wound. Obs. rare.
c1375Sc. Leg. Saints Prol. 72 Longius..mad ȝet þare in cristis syd a slope, þat ves bath lang & vyd. Ibid. xlv. (Christine) 300 With ane arrow in hire syd he mad a slope. ▪ III. † slap, n.3 Obs.—1 [f. slap v.3] A single act of lapping or licking up; a lap.
1589R. Harvey Pl. Perc. 3 As for my spoons, those I brought, that I..might haue one slap at the Spoone meat. ▪ IV. † slap, n.4 Obs. App. a var. of slop n.
1600Breton Pasquil's Fooles Cap lxxxiv. D iij b, Hee that puts fifteene elles into a Ruffe And seauenteene yards into a swagg'ring slappe. 1605― Olde Man's Lesson C iv, A thousand times more contentiue, then to buye it in a Shoppe, and to weare it in Slappe. ▪ V. † slap, n.5 (Origin and meaning uncertain.)
1648Gage West Ind. xv. 99 Under which [market] the poore Indian wives meet at five a clock at evening to sell what slap and drugges they can prepare most cheape for the empty Criolian stomackes. ▪ VI. slap, n.6 Sc. [Of obscure origin. Jamieson also gives slap as a vb. ‘to separate grain’, etc.] ‘A riddle for separating grain from the broken straw, &c.’ (Jam. 1808). Also slap-riddle.
1844H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 271 The rougher part that is left in the slap-riddle is..passed again through the mill. Ibid. 333 The slap-riddles are 3/4 inch, and 1 inch in the meshes. ▪ VII. slap, n.7 Coal-mining. Slack. Also attrib.
1865Morning Star 27 Feb., While one [coal-waggon] was being lowered by the machinery so that it might be brought near the slap-heap. 1883in Gresley Gloss. Coal-m. 225. ▪ VIII. slap dial. form of slop n. and v. ▪ IX. slap, v.1|slæp| [f. slap adv. or n.1] 1. a. trans. To strike or smack (a person or thing) smartly, esp. with the open hand or with something having a flat surface; to hit (one) on, upon, or over (a certain part) in this way. Also to slap (someone) on the back: to clap (someone) on the back as a gesture of goodwill or congratulation; to treat in a hearty or jovial manner.
1632Sherwood, To slappe, frapper. Voyez to flap. 1676Wycherley Pl. Dealer iii. i, I should hate, man, to have my father's wife kissed and slapped..by another man. 1690Crowne Eng. Friar 111, Must I be slap'd over the lips by every fellow? 1747Relph Poems Gloss., To slap, to beat. 1766Goldsm. Vic. W. xxvi, He slapped his forehead as if he had hit upon something material. 1829Lytton Devereux i. ii, Sir William slapped the calf of the leg he was caressing. 1852Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xxix. 271, I was trying on Miss Marie's dress, and she slapped my face. 1887Sir R. H. Roberts In the Shires viii. 135 He slapped the palm of her hand very vigorously. 1908E. M. Forster Room with View x. 173, I said, ‘Hooray, old boy!’ and slapped him on the back. 1914A. C. Benson Jrnl. in D. Newsome On Edge of Paradise (1980) x. 320 M. F. was always the sort of man who slapped everyone on the back. 1931R. Campbell Georgiad iii. 54 Nicolson who in his weekly crack Will slap the meanest scribbler on the back. 1941‘R. West’ Black Lamb & Grey Falcon I. 496 The stocky little men were.. lifting their glasses to him and slapping him on the back. refl.1836W. Irving Astoria III. 45 The gigantic chief..slapping himself upon the breast, gave Mr. Crooks to understand [etc.]. b. To drive back, beat down, knock to the ground, etc., with a slap.
1819Tennant Papistry Stormed (1827) 17 Fun at the door⁓stane stands, And slaps him [Care] back wi' baith his hands. 1842S. Lover Handy Andy li, Oonah slapped down the hand that barred her progress. 1889Gunter That Frenchman! ix, Louise is coming to-night to see me slap the masked fellow to the dust. c. techn. To work (clay) in a certain manner: (see slapping vbl. n. b).
1786Wedgwood in Phil. Trans. LXXVI. 397 What we call handing or slapping the clay, an operation by which its different parts are intermixed, and the mass rendered of an uniform temper throughout. 1839Ure Dict. Arts 577 The clay is made into lumps, is equalized, and slapped much in the same way as for making Pottery. d. U.S. slang. To play (a double-bass) without a bow in jazz style, spec. to pull the strings so as to let them snap back on to the fingerboard.
1933[see dog-house 2 b]. 1935Swing Music June 83/1 The lyric, which was a masterpiece of fatuity.., had to do with the vogue of ‘picking and slapping’ the double bass. 1958Times Lit. Suppl. 11 Apr. (Children's Literature Suppl.) p. iii/3 He takes up the violin, viola and cello, but happily stays just the right size for the double-bass, which he ‘slaps’ with such proficiency that he ends up in a famous jazz orchestra. 2. To write or jot down quickly or smartly.
1672Villiers (Dk. Buckhm.) Rehearsal i. i, But as soon as any one speaks, pop I slap it down, and make that, too, my own. 1673[R. Leigh] Transp. Reh. 37 Pop, he slaps them down. 1884‘Mark Twain’ Huck. Finn xvii. 158 She could rattle off poetry like nothing... She would slap down a line, and if she couldn't find anything to rhyme with it she would just scratch it out and slap down another one. 3. a. To strike, bring down (one's hand, etc.) on or upon something with a slap; to clap (the hands) together.
1717Prior Alma i. 346 Dick..Then slapp'd his Hand upon the Board. 1791F. Burney Diary 4 June, The Duke slapped his hand violently on the table, and called out [etc.]. 1860Holland Miss Gilbert's Career xviii. 332 He suddenly slapped his hand upon his forehead. 1885Manch. Exam. 10 July 5/5 The Chancellor of the Exchequer slapped his palms together. b. To put or place on or into, to fling or throw down, etc., with a slap or clap.
1836Marryat Midship. Easy xiii, The grating was slapped on again by Jack. 1847Alb. Smith Chr. Tadpole vii. (1879) 65 Long planks were drawn from waggons and slapped down on one another. 1898G. B. Shaw Plays II. Man of Destiny 161 He slaps the cloth on the table and deftly rolls it up. fig.1839–40W. Irving Wolfert's R., Mountjoy (1855) 63 The moment I make my appearance in the world, a little girl slaps Italian in my face. 1922Collier's 1 July 26/1 Judge Tuckerman..slapped on the fines and costs with a lavish hand. 1924E. M. Forster Passage to India vii. 61 The College itself had been slapped down by the Public Works Department, but its grounds included an ancient garden. 1968J. Wainwright Web of Silence 12 A ‘D Notice’ gets slapped on the inquiry... The newspapers are gagged from the word ‘go’. 1976Milton Keynes Express 23 July 38/5 The Berks and Bucks FA have slapped a severe six-week ban on Hurrell following his sending off in a charity match. c. To place, put, or set (one's hat) over the face, etc. so that it lops down or overhangs; to jam down firmly. ? Obs.
1782F. Burney Cecilia ix. ii, [He] slapped his hat over his face. 1796― Camilla II. 168 Lionel slapped his hat over his eyes. 1801C. Smith Lett. Solit. Wand. I. 162 His hat was slapped quite down, as if to keep it from being carried away by the wind. 4. To shut (a door, gate, etc.) sharply or with a slap. Also with to.
1708S. Centlivre Busie Body iv. ii. Sir Jeal. There, go, and come no more within sight of my Habitation... (Slaps the Door after her.) 1762Ann. Reg., Chron. 133/1 The daughter..slapped to the door. 1818Scott Rob Roy xxiv, I..contented myself with slapping the door of my bedroom in his face. 1847C. Brontë J. Eyre v, The door was slapped to,..and on we drove. 5. intr. Of a door, etc.: To slam. rare.
1796Black Giles (Cheap Reposit. Tracts) 4 They are very apt to let the gate slap full against you, before you are half way through. a1882Rossetti Ballad of J. Van Hunks i, You might hear the hall-door slap. 6. Of waves, water, etc.: To beat or strike on or against something with a slapping sound.
1840Marryat Poor Jack xxii, We could..hear the water slapping against the bends. 1883Symonds Ital. Byways v. 86 The sea slapped and broke..on our windward quarter. 1897Flandrau Harvard Episodes 169 The fellows could hear the rain slapping in gusts against the window-panes. 7. To move or walk quickly; to go along in this manner. dial. or colloq. Also poet.
1827Mirror II. 36/2 Always slap along at a desperate rate through the streets. 1828–in Eng. Dial. Dict. (Yorks., Lancs., Northants.). 1966S. Heaney Death of Naturalist 57 And one Was scaresome for there, out of ferns and tall Foxgloves, a rat slapped across my reflection. 8. To strike or fire at a person. Also trans., to throw (in quot. fig.)
1842S. Lover Handy Andy ii, I'll keep no terms with him;—I'll slap at him directly, what can you do that's wickedest? Ibid. iii, Slap at him, Morty, my boy, the minute you get the word, and if you don't hit him itself, it will prevent him dwelling on his aim. 1957[see prisoner's dilemma s.v. prisoner2 1 b]. 9. trans. To punish (someone) with a penalty, sentence, etc. N. Amer.
1968Globe & Mail (Toronto) 13 Jan. 37/2 Late in the contest coach John Petrushchak and centre Bruno Marcocchio were slapped with technical fouls for disagreeing with the referees. 1972Newsweek 10 Jan. 17/3 For his indiscretion, he is slapped with a stiff $17,000 fine. 1973Tucson (Arizona) Daily Citizen 22 Aug. 4/1 Two young stepbrothers involved in a drug-crime..were slapped with five years partial probation. 10. In fig. phrs. to slap (a person or thing) down: to snub, suppress, or rebuke; to slap (a person's) wrist: to scold or reprimand; to slap (a person's) face: to administer a sharp reproof or rebuff.
1938‘E. Queen’ Four of Hearts xi. 153 She's been..leading me on just so she could turn around and slap me down. 1949L. A. G. Strong Maud Cherrill 40 Any hint of affectation or pretentiousness she would have slapped down hard. 1960‘E. McBain’ See them Die xvi. 209 You're God, and there isn't anyone who's going to slap your wrist, no matter how you do it. 1973Times 13 Aug. 4/2 Sales of this have gone up in recent years and we cannot think that the Government is going to slap the face of a very large number of users to save a little money. Ibid. 17 Oct. 20/3 The police sergeant who conducted the prosecutions was often slapped down by the clerk of the court for leading his witnesses. 1977E. Ambler Send no More Roses iii. 53 Thinking that he was about to deliver the admonition, I let him go ahead. He didn't even slap her wrist. 1978Lancashire Life July 63/2 His seniors might well have felt he was a publicity-seeker who needed slapping-down. 11. Comb. slap-bass, a double-bass played in jazz style (see quot. 1956); slap-you-on-the-back attrib. phr., hearty, jovial.
1949Sun (Baltimore) 22 Jan. 6/3 The *slap-bass virtuoso who accidentally kicks a hole in his instrument in the middle of a jam session. 1956S. Traill Play that Music iv. 46 This was the era of the slap bass: so called because the strings were pulled away from the fingerboard of the bass and..let smartly back to the fingerboard—thereby making a loud clicking sound.
1932B. Worsley-Gough Public Affairs x. 182 ‘Lord,’ said Venetia, ‘I had forgotten the Bishop. What is he like?’ ‘Jovial. Jolly. *Slap-you-on-the-back-for-tuppence.’ 1957Times Lit. Suppl. 22 Nov. 708/4 Mr Matthews has a jolly, slap-you-on-the-back approach. 1962Listener 28 June 1114/2 Newbolt himself was no hearty, bluff, slap-you-on-the-back sort of man.
Sense 1 d in Dict. becomes 1 e. Add: [1.] d. To strike (the ball or puck) with a sharp slap; also, to score (a run, etc.) by hitting in this way. Cf. slap shot n. N. Amer. Sport.
1912N.Y. Tribune 12 Oct. 10/5 Cady, after fouling off three balls, slapped a single through the box. 1935J. T. Farrell Judgment Day viii. 183 Studs watched the infield practice, the grounders slapped hard, cutting over the dirt, the ball snapped around from player to player. 1964F. Mahovlich Ice Hockey ix. 54 Get a friend to feed you passes which you can slap at the goalmouth. [3.] d. To apply or daub (a substance, esp. paint or make-up), usu. thickly or carelessly. Cf. *slap n.1 3. colloq.
1903Farmer & Henley Slang VI. 243/1 Slap,..(theatrical). Make-up. Also as verb. 1918‘Taffrail’ Little Ship ii. 26 The dockyard-maties had slapped on the service gray paint over coal-dust and dirt alike. 1944M. Laski Love on Supertax iii. 36 She slapped the Orange Skin Food on to her face. 1960News Chron. 16 Feb. 6/6 Barbara goes into the dressing-room to slap on the old goo. 1970Sunday Times 3 May 28/6 Women take hours getting themselves done up to attract men, slapping on pancake, painting their eyes. 1983I. Watson Bk. of River (1984) ii. 55, I soon found that painting isn't a matter of slapping on a fresh coat, then sitting back to admire it. ▪ X. slap, v.2 Sc. Also 6 slop. [f. slap n.2] 1. trans. To make gaps or breaches in (a wall, etc.).
1513Douglas æneid ix. viii. 110 The Volscenaris assemblit in a sop, To fyll the fowseis and the wallis to slop. a1575Diurn. Occurr. (Bann. Cl.) 211 The men of weare..slappit all the pendis of the kirk, for keiping thairof aganis my lord regent. 1767in Cramond Ann. Cullen (1888) 106 The wall is slapt to make a slit to give air to the criminal prison. 1805State Fraser of Fraserfield 216 (Jam.), The remains of an old dyke or bulwark, much slapped and broken. †2. transf. To make breaks or breaches in (a body of troops). Obs.
1513Douglas æneid x. viii. 6 The quhilk Turnus..The myd routis went sloppand heir and thair. 1533Bellenden Livy i. xv. (S.T.S.) I. 86 Þai nocht alanerlie dang and sloppit þe Sabynis legiouns, bot als put þame to flicht. ▪ XI. slap, v.3 Now dial. [ad. LG. slappen (G. schlappen) in the same sense.] 1. intr. To lap.
1603Holland Plutarch's Mor. i. 4 The other [dog] ranne straight to slap in the platter. 2. trans. To lap or gobble up.
1608H. Clapham Errour Right Hand 19 They haue slapt vp his Vomite. 1637Heywood Pleas. Dial. iv. Wks. 1874 VI. 191 With his long finger having scrap'd the dish, And slapt up all the sauce of flesh or fish. 1828Carr Craven Gloss. s.v., ‘To slap up,’ to swallow greedily, to dispatch a meal. Ibid., He slapt up his porridge in a trice. ▪ XII. slap, adv. colloq.|slæp| [ad. LG. slapp (G. schlapp), of imitative origin.] 1. With, or as with, a slap or smart quick blow; quickly, suddenly, without warning or notice: a. In general use (frequently parenthetic); also with off, down.
1672Villiers (Dk. Buckhm.) Rehearsal iii. i, First one speaks, then presently t'others upon him slap, with a Repartee. 1706Vanbrugh Mistake 111, You han't been married eight-and-forty hours, and you are slap—at your husband's beard already. 1733Fielding Quix. in Eng. ii. iv, There is no laying down anything eatable, but if you turn your back, slap, he has it up. 1736― Pasquin i., I defy you to guess my couple till the thing is done, slap, all at once. 1852Reade Peg Woff. (1889) 123 Let us be serious and finish this comedy slap off. 1865Dickens Mut. Fr. iii. xiii, ‘The money must be paid.’ ‘In full and slap down, do you mean?’ asked Fledgeby. b. With come, go, run, etc. In later use freq. implying sense 2.
1676G. Etherege Man of Mode iv. ii, Slap down goes the glass, and thus we are at it. 1713Arbuthnot John Bull ii. v, If they offered to come into the warehouse, then strait went the yard slap over their noddle. a1766F. Sheridan Sidney Bidulph IV. 10 You were but twelve hours in my house,..when slap comes down an express to hurry you away. 1831E. J. Trelawny Adv. Younger Son II. 280, I was determined to run slap ashore. 1890‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 259, I'm blessed if I didn't ride slap into that drain. 1894Sir J. D. Astley Fifty Yrs. Life I. 226 A ball had passed slap through his body. c. With verbs denoting violent impact.
1825Westmacott Eng. Spy I. 291 Let fly..slap at my smeller. 1851Hawthorne Twice-told T. I. vii. 140 A ball, of the consistence of hasty pudding, hit him slap in the mouth. 1861G. Meredith Evan Harrington xli, Andrew pushed through the doorway, and..delivered a punch slap into Old Tom's belt. 2. Directly; straight.
1829Marryat F. Mildmay iv, I, and my Noah's Ark, lay slap in the way. a1845Barham Ingol. Leg. Ser. iii. The House-Warming ii, The shaft..ne'er glanced from a limb Of a tree.., but was aimed slap at him. 1852Dickens Bleak Ho. x, A turnstile leading slap away into the meadows. 1889‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms xxv, We walked slap down to the hotel. ▪ XIII. slap, a. slang. Ellipt. for slap-up.
1840H. Cockton Valentine Vox xiv. 108 But it's a werry nice place; werry private and genteel. None o' your public 'uns!—everything slap and respectable! 1851Mayhew Lond. Lab. II. 107/1 People's got proud now,..and must have everything slap. |