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Synonyms

slap in the face

Idioms  

  1. A sharp rebuke or rebuff, as in Being criticized in front of my staff was a real slap in the face, or We thought it quite a slap in the face when they returned our letter unopened. The figurative use of this term, which can also refer to a literal blow, dates from the late 1800s.

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.

Senior defensive tackle Zxavian Harris called it a “slap in the face,” adding that Kiffin was “just trying to steal our shine. That’s all he’s been trying to do is steal our shine.”

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, they got a slap in the face.

From Los Angeles Times

The first slap in the face with a wet fish came for crypto on Feb. 21.

From Los Angeles Times

The decision was a "slap in the face to the people of Epping", said shadow interior minister Chris Philp.

From Barron's

“It’s another slap in the face,” said Zaire Calvin, a lifelong West Altadena resident who lost his sister, his home and his neighborhood in the fire.

From Los Angeles Times

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.