slap on the wrist
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
But he warned online spaces were not beyond the law and offenders would not "get off with a slap on the wrist".
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 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
"In the end he got a slap on the wrist," she said.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 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.
