(~s, ~ping, ~ped)
1.
If you ~ someone, you hit them with the palm of your hand.
He would push or ~ her once in a while...
I ~ped him hard across the face...
VERB: V n, V n adv/prep
•
Slap is also a noun.
He reached forward and gave her a ~.
N-COUNT: usu sing
2.
If you ~ something onto a surface, you put it there quickly, roughly, or carelessly.
The barman ~ped the cup on to the waiting saucer.
VERB: V n on/onto n
3.
If journalists say that the authorities ~ something such as a tax or a ban on something, they think it is unreasonable or put on without careful thought. (INFORMAL)
The government ~ped a ban on the export of unprocessed logs...
= stick
VERB: V n on n disapproval
4.
If you describe something that someone does as a ~ in the face, you mean that it shocks or upsets you because it shows that they do not support you or respect you.
‘The Sun’ calls it a massive ~ in the face for the United States government...
Britons persist in treating any pay rise of less than 5% as a ~ in the face.
PHRASE: oft PHR for n