SLIP

v. & n. --v. (slipped, slipping) 1 intr. slide unintentionally esp. for a short distance; lose one's footing or balance or place by unintended sliding. 2 intr. go or move with a sliding motion (as the door closes the catch slips into place; slipped into her nightdress). 3 intr. escape restraint or capture by being slippery or hard to hold or by not being grasped (the eel slipped through his fingers). 4 intr. make one's or its way unobserved or quietly or quickly (just slip across to the baker's; errors will slip in). 5 intr. a make a careless or casual mistake. b fall below the normal standard, deteriorate, lapse. 6 tr. insert or transfer stealthily or casually or with a sliding motion (slipped a coin into his hand; slipped the papers into his pocket). 7 tr. a release from restraint (slipped the greyhounds from the leash). b detach (an anchor) from a ship. c Brit. detach (a carriage) from a moving train. d release (the clutch of a motor vehicle) for a moment. e (of an animal) produce (young) prematurely. 8 tr. move (a stitch) to the other needle without knitting it. 9 tr. (foll. by on, off) pull (a garment) hastily on or off. 10 tr. escape from; give the slip to (the dog slipped its collar; point slipped my mind). --n. 1 the act or an instance of slipping. 2 an accidental or slight error. 3 a loose covering or garment, esp. a petticoat or pillowcase. 4 a a reduction in the movement of a pulley etc. due to slipping of the belt. b a reduction in the distance travelled by a ship or aircraft arising from the nature of the medium in which its propeller revolves. 5 (in sing. or pl.) a an artificial slope of stone etc. on which boats are landed. b an inclined structure on which ships are built or repaired. 6 Cricket a a fielder stationed for balls glancing off the bat to the off side. b (in sing. or pl.) the position of such a fielder (caught in the slips; caught at slip). 7 a leash to slip dogs. øgive a person the slip escape from or evade him or her. let slip 1 release accidentally or deliberately, esp. from a leash. 2 miss (an opportunity). 3 utter inadvertently. let slip the dogs of war poet. open hostilities. let slip through one's fingers 1 lose hold of. 2 miss the opportunity of having. slip away depart without leave-taking etc. slip-carriage Brit. a railway carriage on an express for detaching at a station where the rest of the train does not stop. slip-case a close-fitting case for a book. slip-coach Brit. = slip-carriage. slip-cover 1 a a calico etc. cover for furniture out of use. b US = loose cover. 2 a jacket or slip-case for a book. slip form a mould in which a structure of uniform cross-section is cast by filling it with concrete and continually moving and refilling it. slip-hook a hook with a contrivance for releasing it readily when necessary. slip-knot 1 a knot that can be undone by a pull. 2 a running knot. slip off depart without leave-taking etc. slip of the pen (or tongue) a small mistake in which something is written (or said) unintentionally. slip-on adj. (of shoes or clothes) that can be easily slipped on and off. --n. a slip-on shoe or garment. slip-over (of a garment) to be slipped on over the head. slipped disc a disc between vertebrae that has become displaced and causes lumbar pain. slip-ring a ring for sliding contact in a dynamo or electric motor. slip-road Brit. a road for entering or leaving a motorway etc. slip-rope Naut. a rope with both ends on board so that casting loose either end frees the ship from her moorings. slip sheet Printing a sheet of paper placed between newly printed sheets to prevent set-off or smudging. slip something over on colloq. outwit. slip-stitch n. 1 a loose stitch joining layers of fabric and not visible externally. 2 a stitch moved to the other needle without being knitted. --v.tr. sew with slip-stitch. slip up colloq. make a mistake. slip-up n. colloq. a mistake, a blunder. there's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip nothing is certain till it has happened. [ME prob. f. MLG slippen: cf. SLIPPERY]