slap in the face

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

“Lowering the amount we can raise rent is a slap in the face. They are favoring one side of the aisle more than the other.”

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

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“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.

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I see it as a slap in the face.

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But when another emergency shows up at Linda’s doorstep and she tries to enter her therapist’s office mid-session, catching a glimpse of a pair of shoes on his couch, this realization that Linda is just one of many patients hits her like a slap in the face.

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Related Words

• abuse 
• affront 
• blasphemy 
• contempt 
• disgrace 
• disrespect 
• indignity 
• invective 
• libel 
• outrage 
• put-down 
• scorn 
• shame 
• slander 
• slap 
• slight 
• snub 
• taunt