slippery slope

noun

1. a dangerous and irreversible course.

   the slippery slope from narcotics to prison.

Word History and Origins

Origin of slippery slope¹

First recorded in 1985–90

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

Hamilton feared a slippery slope toward rule by the people, not the propertied, threatening the development of capitalism.

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“I think it’s a slippery slope,” she says.

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Experts warn the obscure 19th century law at the heart of the debate is vague and “full of loopholes,” worrying some who see repeated deployment as a slippery slope to widespread, long-term military occupations.

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“That is a slippery slope to oblivion.”

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For others, keeping secrets at all feels like a slippery slope.

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