adj.1 difficult to hold firmly because of smoothness, wetness, sliminess, or elusive motion.
2 (of a surface) difficult to stand on, causing slips by its smoothness or muddiness.
3 unreliable, unscrupulous, shifty.
4 (of a subject) requiring tactful handling.
Phrases and idioms:
slippery elm
1. the N. American red elm, Ulmus fulva.
2 the medicinal inner bark of this. slippery slope a course leading to disaster.
Derivatives:
slipperily adv. slipperiness n.
Etymology: prob. coined by Coverdale (1535) after Luther's schlipfferig, MHG slipferig f. slipfern, slipfen f. Gmc: partly f. slipper slippery (now dial.) f. OE slipor f. Gmc