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

Understandably, GM CEO Mary Barra said Tuesday External link that Carney’s move was “a very slippery slope.”

From Barron's

“It becomes a very slippery slope.”

From The Wall Street Journal

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

So Roz carefully picked her way up the slippery slope, while Brightbill fluttered along beside her.

From Literature

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

From BBC