happy slapping

British

noun

informal the practice of attacking, esp slapping, an unsuspecting passer-by and filming it with a mobile camera phone, footage of which is then circulated for the amusement of others

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of happy slapping

C21

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But the spokesman adds that the rash of "happy slapping" incidents a couple of years ago forced local authorities to confront the issue, and gradually a consensus is emerging.

From The Guardian

The judge said: "By recording parts of what you did on a mobile, you made at least some of this an example of happy slapping."

From BBC

He rose confident and happy, slapping his friend on the shoulder, with the old boyish exhilaration.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023