slip1
¦ verb (slips, slipping, slipped)
1. lose one's balance or footing and slide unintentionally for a short distance.
accidentally slide or move out of position or from someone's grasp.
fail to grip or make proper contact with a surface.
2. pass gradually to a worse condition.
(usu. slip up) make a careless error.
3. move or place quietly, quickly, or stealthily.
4. escape or get loose from (a means of restraint).
fail to be remembered by (one's mind or memory).
release (a hunting dog) from restraint.
release (the clutch of a motor vehicle) slightly or for a moment.
5. Knitting move (a stitch) to the other needle without knitting it.
6. (of an animal) produce (dead young) prematurely; abort.
¦ noun
1. an act of slipping.
a sideways movement of an aircraft in flight.
Geology the relative horizontal displacement of corresponding points on either side of a fault plane.
2. a minor or careless mistake.
3. a loose-fitting garment, especially a short petticoat.
4. Cricket a fielding position close behind the batsman on the off side.
6. a leash which enables a dog to be released quickly.
Phrases
give someone the slip informal evade or escape from someone.
let something slip
1. reveal something inadvertently in conversation.
2. archaic release a hound from the leash to begin the chase.
slip of the pen (or the tongue) a minor mistake in writing (or speech).
Derivatives
slippage noun
Origin
ME: prob. from Mid. Low Ger.
slippen (v.); cf.
slippery.
--------
slip2
¦ noun
1. a small piece of paper for writing on or that gives printed information.
2. a long, thin, narrow strip of wood or other material.
3. (a slip of a --) a small or slim young person: a slip of a girl.
4. Printing a printer's proof on a long piece of paper; a galley proof.
5. a cutting taken from a plant for grafting or planting; a scion.
Origin
ME: prob. from MDu., Mid. Low Ger. slippe 'cut, strip'.
--------
slip3
¦ noun a creamy mixture of clay, water, and typically a pigment of some kind, used for decorating earthenware.
Origin
C17: of obscure origin; cf. Norw. slip(a) 'slime'.