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

Belgium, the Netherlands and Canada have all fallen down that slippery slope.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Admittedly, answering emails on the weekend can be a slippery slope.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

Workers say that could be the first step down a slippery slope that leads to layoffs and damage to patient health.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

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

From BBC • Oct. 20, 2025

Insurgent capitalism frightened the government of North Korea, which fretted publicly about a slippery slope to regime change and catastrophe.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden