slippery slope

American  

noun

1. a dangerous and irreversible course.

   the slippery slope from narcotics to prison.

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slippery slope Idioms  

1. A dangerous course, one that leads easily to catastrophe, as in He's on a slippery slope, compromising his values to please both the bosses and the union. This metaphoric expression alludes to traversing a slick hillside, in constant danger of falling. [Mid-1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of slippery slope

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

Changing the messaging on safe sleep would be a “slippery slope,” said Deanne Tilton Durfee, executive director of the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, which runs L.A.

From Los Angeles Times

The tax proposal, said campaign strategist Dan Newman, “opens up a can of worms sliding down a slippery slope by taxing cars, houses, wheelbarrows and everything else.”

From The Wall Street Journal

California Republicans have called the effort misguided, arguing that the retaliatory response creates a slippery slope that would erode the independent redistricting process California voters have chosen twice at the ballot box.

From Los Angeles Times

While the contents of the agreements weren’t egregious, I, and many others, were worried to see them signed: Accepting government influence in academic institutions is a slippery slope.

From The Wall Street Journal

Liverpool MP Paula Barker warned of a "slippery slope when safety concerns are ignored" at football stadiums, referencing the Hillsborough disaster.

From BBC