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.

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Example Sentences

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

I see it as a slap in the face.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.

From Salon

Related Words

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