definitions

slap in the face

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.

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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

slantwise, slap, slap bass, slap dashing, slap down, slap in the face, slap on the back, slap on the wrist, slap shot, slap-bang, slap-happy
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.