Slippery as an eel
Elusive, devious, as in When it comes to talking about his investments, Jim’s slippery as an eel. This simile, first recorded about 1412, alludes to the eel’s skin, which has tiny scales and is quite slippery when wet.
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noun 1. (Austral, informal) a long slide at a playground or funfair
- Slippery-elm
noun 1. an elm, Ulmus rubra, of eastern North America, having a mucilaginous inner bark. 2. the bark of this elm, used as a demulcent. slippery elm noun 1. a tree, Ulmus fulva, of E North America, having oblong serrated leaves, notched winged fruits, and a mucilaginous inner bark 2. the bark of this tree, […]
- Slippery-slope
noun 1. a dangerous and irreversible course: the slippery slope from narcotics to prison. slip me five slippery slope 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, […]
- Slipping rib
slipping rib slip·ping rib (slĭp’ĭng) n. A subluxation of a rib cartilage with costochondral separation.