Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality of being slippery; a lack of friction or adhesion: This refers to the physical property of a surface that makes it difficult to hold, stand on, or grip.
   • The quality of being untrustworthy or deceitful; shiftiness: This figurative meaning describes a person's character as being evasive, dishonest, or difficult to pin down.

Usage and Examples

• Referring to a physical surface:

  • The slipperiness of the icy pavement made walking very dangerous.
  • The slipperiness of the wet soap caused it to fly out of my hand.

• Referring to a person's character:

  • The politician's slipperiness made it hard for journalists to get a straight answer.
  • We were wary of the salesman's slipperiness in his promises.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "A certain slipperiness": Often used to suggest a vague, hard-to-define quality of evasion or unreliability.
  • There was a certain slipperiness to his argument that made me doubt his conclusions.

Variants and Related Words

• Slippery (adj): Having a surface that is smooth, wet, or oily and therefore difficult to hold or stand on; (of a person) evasive and unreliable.

  • The road was slippery after the rain.
  • He's a slippery character who avoids direct responsibility.

• Slickness (n): Can be a synonym for physical slipperiness, especially a smooth, glossy, and often deceptive surface.

  • The slickness of the polished floor was a hazard.

Synonyms

• Physical quality: Slickness, lubricity, smoothness.
• Character quality: Shiftiness, evasiveness, deceitfulness, unreliability, guile.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "As slippery as an eel": An idiom describing someone who is very evasive and difficult to catch or pin down.
  • Trying to get a commitment from him is impossible; he's as slippery as an eel.

Noun

1. the quality of being a slippery rascal
2. a slippery smoothness
   • he could feel the slickness of the tiller