slap on the wrist
IdiomsExample Sentences
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But in Andriesz's view that amounted to little more than a regulatory "slap on the wrist" and made it harder to make a claim for whistleblower retaliation against BGC at tribunal.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
One of the girls described the sentences as a "slap on the wrist".
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Rival athletic directors and coaches couldn’t fathom how someone who had so blatantly broken a universal rule would be allowed to escape with a slap on the wrist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
After a prolonged legal battle between Elon Musk and U.S. regulators over his past purchase of Twitter shares, the technology CEO is getting off with little more than a slap on the wrist.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
“Yeah, The Corporation will probably only get a slap on the wrist and get to set up shop somewhere else. Everything’s being blamed on Ladybird. Typical.”
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
