slap1
/slap
/verb (slaps, slapping, slapped)
1 [with object] Hit or strike with the palm of the hand or a flat object: my sister slapped my face...
- The boy smirked and reached out his palm, which was slapped extremely hard by the rest of his gang.
- Julianna shouted, standing up and slapping her palms down flat on her desk.
- A traffic cop pounced on them and, screaming abuses, began slapping one of the men, who could not even shield himself for fear that the cart would go out of control.
Synonyms
hit, strike, smack, crack, clout, cuff, thump, punch, thwack, spank, rap, beat
informal whack, wallop, biff, swipe, clip, bop, belt, bash, sock
British informal slosh
North American informal boff, slug, bust
Australian/New Zealand informal dong, quilt
archaic smite
1.1 [no object, with adverbial] Hit against or into something with the sound of something being slapped: water slapped against the boat...
- This can be done using metal to sound like thunder, or meat slapped against a block to imitate a punch.
- Sweat soon coated her forehead and slicked her arms as her skin slapped against the skin of strangers.
- The wrapper flew off, carried by its momentum, and slapped against the wall ten feet to my right.
1.2 (slap someone down) informal Reprimand someone forcefully: Uncle Max was always slapping me down for being big-headed...
- But if it takes the judge's advice and includes all calls, the FTC will be slapped down by the Supreme Court for violating the First Amendment rights of politicians and charities.
- A controversial councillor has been slapped down by his Labour colleagues over his proposal to change Bolton's name.
- She slaps me down for asking his name: ‘It wouldn't mean anything to you,’ she says firmly.
Synonyms
reprimand, rebuke, reproach, scold, admonish, take to task;
squash, squelch, put down, put someone in their place, take down a peg or two, deflate
informal tell off
British informal tick off, have a go at
2 [with object and adverbial] Put or apply (something) somewhere quickly, carelessly, or forcefully: slap on a bit of make-up he slapped a copy of the paper onto her desk...
- The girl took her hand off my mouth and quickly slapped a strip of duct tape over it.
- He quickly slapped it away and yelled at her to get the hell out of there.
- Megan quickly slapped her hand away from her mouth and gave her a reproving look.
Synonyms
fling, throw, toss, sling, slam, bang
informal bung, plonk
daub, plaster, spread;
apply
2.1 (slap something on) informal Impose a fine or other penalty on: the government had slapped an embargo on imports...
- The mum of a disabled boy today hit out at a parking warden who slapped a fine on their specially adapted car - because it overhung the bay.
- The parking wardens have no problem and are very quick at slapping fines on people who park illegally around Portlaoise.
- The get tough stance comes just a few weeks after parking attendants in the town were criticised for slapping fines on coaches picking up children from a Christmas pantomime.
Synonyms
impose, levy, put on, add
noun
1A blow with the palm of the hand or a flat object: he gave her a slap across her cheek...
- Hartnett said he was pushed by Laurence, and hit back in self-defence with a single slap with the palm of his hand.
- His knocks on her door, once strong and quick, were now reduced to tired, dull slaps of his palm against the wood.
- He hit the steering wheel with an angry slap of his palm.
Synonyms
smack, blow, thump, cuff, clout, punch, crack, thwack;
spank, rap, bang
informal whack, wallop, clip, biff, swipe, bop, belt, bash, sock
1.1A sound made or as if made by a slap: she heard the slap of water against the harbour wall...
- At night the only sounds you might hear are the slap of ripples against the piers and the white noise hum of surf on the distant reef.
- Then as I turned into the living quarters of his home, I heard the slap of water hitting the floor before my mind registered the sight before me.
- The loud hiss of water and a loud slap of tile is heard as Aquila enters the shower, getting a shock from the heat of the water.
2 [mass noun] informal Make-up, especially when applied thickly or carelessly: I put a bit of slap on my face and we were ready to go...
- But most of the female population likes to put on a bit of slap now and then for self-confidence and attracting men so for that alone it gives guys some peace.
- From childhood war paint to a student's bare-faced chic, a bit of slap can always help you out in a crisis.
- The singers, in blonde wigs and full slap, are often inaudible, and when they come off at the end they are bitterly disappointed.
adverb (also slap bang) informal
1Suddenly and directly, especially with great force: storming out of her room, she went slap into Luke...
- It takes us slap bang into the world of three very different young women as they explore their first forays into the world of physical love.
- What happens when improving people's quality of life runs slap bang into environmental limits?
1.1Exactly; right: the parador is slap bang in the middle of the Alhambra...
- It appears the sticky-backed number which should have been attached to Luis' shorts came loose at the start, caught the wind and landed slap across his chops.
- It lies eight miles in from the edge of the capital, slap under the final approach to Heathrow.
- The only thing in favour of the Midland was that it was slap in the middle of town and a vastly more interesting building with rooms that were not meticulously square.
Synonyms
straight, right, directly, squarely, dead, plumb, point-blank;
exactly, precisely
informal smack, bang, slap bang
North American informal spang, smack dab
Phrases
a slap in the face
a slap on the back
slap someone on the back
a slap on the wrist
Origin
Late Middle English (as a verb): probably imitative. The noun dates from the mid 17th century.
When slap first came into English it was probably meant to imitate the sound of a blow with the palm of the hand. Slap and tickle, playful sexual activity, dates from the early 20th century. To create the sound of a blow in the theatre or circus, pantomime actors and clowns use a device consisting of two flexible pieces of wood joined together at one end. This is a slapstick, so called since the late 19th century. Since then it has also been the term for comedy based on deliberately clumsy actions and embarrassing events. Slaphead is British slang for a bald man, recorded from the late 1980s. It could be a reference to a long-running routine of the comedian Benny Hill, in which Hill slapped his short, bald sidekick Jackie Wright repeatedly on the head. Another 1980s British slang term of uncertain origin is slapper, ‘an unattractive woman’. It may be from a woman ‘slapping on’ a large amount of make-up, or could be connected with Yiddish schlepper ‘scruffy person’. From this source comes to schlep. Originally meaning ‘to haul’, and first recorded in this sense in James Joyce's Ulysses (1922) ‘She trudges, schlepps, trains, drags…her load’, but now more often found in the sense ‘traipse, trudge’.
Rhymes
slap2
/slap/adjective South African
1Lacking strength, energy, or discipline; ineffectual: the book took her three years to write because she was very slap...
- They will even be able to captain the Province side and get rid of that slap lazy De Wet.
- Training your muscles should ache, and the next morning you should feel like a slap stokvis.
2(Of food) soft or runny: the chips were crisp outside and slap inside...
- ‘Pap’, as it's affectionately known, can be served ‘slap’ (with a thin consistency).
- Firstly, it was not the normal bacon eggs and slap toast.
Origin
Afrikaans, literally 'dangling, flabby'.