slap

English

Etymology

From Middle English slappen, of uncertain origin, possibly imitative. Compare Low German Slappe (“slap”), whence also German Schlappe (“defeat”). Compare also Italian sleppa (“slap”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slæp/
• Rhymes: -æp

• Audio (CAN)

  (file)

Noun

slap (countable and uncountable, plural slaps)

1. (countable) A blow, especially one given with the open hand, or with something broad and flat.

   He gave me a friendly slap on the back as a sign of camaraderie.

2. (countable) A sharp percussive sound like that produced by such a blow.

   the slap of my feet on the bathroom tiles

3. (countable, music) The percussive sound produced in slap bass playing.
   • 2019 August 15, Bob Stanley, “'Groovy, groovy, groovy': listening to Woodstock 50 years on – all 38 discs”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Havens goes into the terrific Freedom for an encore, which will turn out to be a highlight of the movie; its chopped guitar and conga slaps pre-empt late 90s R&B.

4. (slang, uncountable) Makeup; cosmetics.
   • 1997, Gardiner, James, Who's a Pretty Boy Then?, page 123:

     Well, she schlumphed her Vera down the screech at a rate of knots, zhooshed up the riah, checked the slap in the mirror behind the bar, straightened up one ogle fake riah that had come adrift, and bold as brass orderlied over as fast as she could manage in those bats and, in her best lips, asked, if she could parker the omi a bevvy.

   • Quoted in 2006, Matt Houlbrook, Queer London (page 151)

     If you had too much slap on when you went out . . . your mates say too much slap on your ecaf. Yeah. Oh really girl? Yes . . . Go in the lavs here and have a look.

5. (slang, countable) An eye-catching sticker used in street art.
   • 2019, Saskia Hufnagel, Duncan Chappell, The Palgrave Handbook on Art Crime (page 859)

     […] which seek to retake public space for their own expression, using graffiti, stickering, 'slaps' and street art to dissent from the commercialisation of the public sphere.

Hyponyms

• cuff

Derived terms

• bitch-slap
• dickslap
• pimp-slap
• slap and tickle
• slap in the face

Translations

A blow dealt with the open hand

• Albanian: shputë (sq), shuplakë (sq), dackë (sq)
• Arabic: صَفْعَة‎ (ṣafʕa), لَطْمَة‎ (laṭma)

  Egyptian Arabic: قلم‎ m (ʔalam), كشاف‎ m (kaʃæːff), كف‎ m (kaff), اقلام‎ f pl (ʔeʔlæːm)

  Hijazi Arabic: كَفّ‎ m (kaff)

  Moroccan Arabic: طرشة‎ f (ṭarša)

• Armenian: (in the face) ապտակ (hy) (aptak), (in the face, dialectal) չափալախ (hy) (čʿapʿalax), (in the face, dialectal) սիլլա (hy) (silla)
• Assamese: চৰ (sor), থাপৰ (thapor)
• Azerbaijani: şapalaq
• Bikol Central: sapak
• Bulgarian: плесник m (plesnik), плесница (bg) (plesnica), шамар (bg) m (šamar)
• Catalan: bufetada (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 拍擊／拍击 (zh) (pāijí), 耳光 (zh) (ěrguāng) (slap on the face)

• Coptic: ⲁⲁⲥ f (ɑsˤ) (Sahidic), ⲁⲥ f (ɑsˤ) (Sahidic)
• Czech: facka (cs) f
• Danish: lussing (da) c
• Dutch: mep (nl) f, klets (nl) f
• Esperanto: manfrapo
• Estonian: hoobiga
• Finnish: läimäys (fi), läimäytys, läpsäys (fi), läpsy (fi), läpsäytys (fi)
• French: claque (fr) f (slap on the face), fessée (fr) f (slap on the bum), gifle (fr) f (slap on the face)
• Galician: lapote (gl) m, labazada (gl) f, lufiada f, sopapo (gl) m, bofetada f, cachete m
• German: Klaps (de) m, Schlag (de) m
• Greek: χαστούκι (el) n (chastoúki), σφαλιάρα (el) f (sfaliára)

  Ancient: ῥάπισμα n (rhápisma), ἀλάπη f (alápē), κόλαφος m (kólaphos)

• Haitian Creole: kalot n
• Hindi: चांटा (cā̃ṭā), चाँटा (hi) (cā̃ṭā), थप्पड़ (hi) m (thappaṛ), झापड़ m (jhāpaṛ), चपेट (hi) m (capeṭ), तमाचा (hi) m (tamācā), लाफा m (lāphā), चपत (hi) m (capat), रहपट (hi) m (rahpaṭ)
• Hungarian: csapás (hu), ütés (hu), (in the face) pofon (hu), arculcsapás, arculütés (hu)
• Indonesian: tamparan (id)
• Italian: schiaffo (it) m, ceffone (it) m, sberla (it) f
• Japanese: 平手打ち (ひらてうち, hirateuchi), ビンタ (binta) (slang, usually referring to a slap on the face)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: زلە‎ (zle), چەپۆک‎ (ku) (çepok)

• Kyrgyz: токот (tokot), шапалак (ky) (şapalak)
• Latin: alapa f
• Luhya: ekofi
• Macedonian: шамар m (šamar), шлаканица f (šlakanica)
• Mazanderani: لپاسه‎ (lapāse)
• Norman: charabouste f, cliamuse f (in the face), cliaque f (in the face), gifl'ye f, girnouffl'ye f, mornifl'ye f, nord-êt m, paffe f, talmouse f
• Norwegian: ørefik m, en over kjeften
• Persian: سیلی‎ (fa) (sili)
• Polish: klaps (pl) m, klepnięcie n, policzek (pl) m
• Portuguese: palmada (pt) f, estalo (pt) m, tapa (pt) m, bofetada (pt) f, chapada (pt) f, tabefe (pt) m
• Russian: шлепо́к (ru) m (šlepók), пощёчина (ru) f (poščóčina) (slap on the face) , оплеу́ха (ru) f (opleúxa) (slap on the face) , затре́щина (ru) f (zatréščina) (slap on the face)
• Sicilian: moffa (scn) f, tumpuluni (scn) m, tumpulata (scn) f
• Slovene: klofuta (sl) f
• Spanish: bofetada (es) f, cachetada (es) f
• Swahili: kibare (sw), kibao (sw)
• Swedish: örfil (sv) c, hurring (sv) c, käftsmäll (sv) c
• Tagalog: sampal
• Turkish: sille (tr), tokat (tr), şaplak (tr), şamar (tr)
• Ukrainian: ля́пас m (ljápas)
• Urdu: چانٹا‎ (cā̃ṭā)
• Volapük: (diminutive) flapil (vo)
• Walloon: berlafe (wa) f, tchofe (wa) f, bafe (wa) f, ratournêye (wa) f, racatoirtcheye (wa) f

The sound of such a blow.

• Finnish: läpsähdys (fi), läpsäys (fi), räpsähdys (fi)
• Russian: шлепо́к (ru) m (šlepók), хлопо́к (ru) m (xlopók)
• Spanish: bofetada (es) f, cachetada (es) f
• Swahili: kibare (sw)

Makeup, cosmetics.

• Bulgarian: грим (bg) m (grim)
• German: Makeup n, Schminke (de) f
• Russian: штукату́рка (ru) f (štukatúrka)

Verb

slap (third-person singular simple present slaps, present participle slapping, simple past and past participle slapped)

1. (transitive) To give a slap to.

   She slapped him in response to the insult.

   • 1922 October 26, Virginia Woolf, chapter 1, in Jacob’s Room, Richmond, London: […] Leonard & Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, →OCLC; republished London: The Hogarth Press, 1960, →OCLC:

     Mrs. Flanders rose, slapped her coat this side and that to get the sand off, and picked up her black parasol.

2. (transitive) To cause something to strike soundly.

   He slapped the reins against the horse's back.

3. (intransitive) To strike soundly against something.

   The rain slapped against the window-panes.

4. (intransitive, stative, slang) To be excellent.

   Synonyms: rule, rock

   The band's new single slaps.

   • 2019, "Glass Battles", PT Music Watch, Issue 1 (2019), page 35:

     There are some cinematic elements, but at the end of the day, the album fucking slaps.

   • 2019, Gloria Perez, "Your Things", Your Mag, April 2019, page 74:

     Also I will never get tired of the song "Motion Sickness" by Phoebe Bridgers. Shit slaps.

   • 2019, Elly Watson, "The Great 2019 Debate", DIY, November 2019, page 59:

     2016's 'Girls Like Me' still slaps to this day.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:slap.
5. (transitive) To place, to put carelessly.

   We'd better slap some fresh paint on that wall.

   • 2018 "The Secret Ceramics Room of Secrets", Bob's Burgers

     Louise Belcher: "On Monday there was supposed to be some big schoolboard inspection or something, so instead of cleaning the place up, what does the principal do? He panics. He and the janitor and the janitor's brother slap a wall where the door used to be."
     Gene Belcher: "Wall slap."

6. (transitive, informal, figurative) To impose a penalty, etc. on (someone).

   I was slapped with a parking fine.

7. (transitive, informal) To play slap bass on (an instrument).
   • 2007, Jon Paulien, The Gospel from Patmos:

     With no drums, Black began slapping his bass to keep time while Moore's guitar leaped in and out of the melody line.

Hyponyms

• cuff

Derived terms

• slapper
• slap leather
• slap together
• slap-up

Translations

to give a slap

• Albanian: backos (sq)
• Arabic: صَفَعَ‎ (ṣafaʕa), لَطَمَ‎ (laṭama)

  Egyptian Arabic: كفخ‎ (kafax), لطش‎ (lɑtˤɑʃ), رزع‎ (razaʕ), رقع‎ (raʔaʕ), ضرب‎ (dˤɑrɑb), ناول‎ (nawel), سفخ‎ (safax), هت‎ (hatt), هف‎ (haff)

  Hijazi Arabic: صَفَق‎ m (ṣafag), رقع‎ (ragaʿ), لطش‎ (laṭaš), لطم‎ (laṭam) (to slap one’s self)

• Armenian: ապտակել (hy) (aptakel), չափալախել (hy) (čʿapʿalaxel) (dialectal)
• Assamese: চৰিওৱা (soriüa)
• Azerbaijani: şapalaqlamaq
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Bikol Central: sapak
• Bulgarian: шляпвам (bg) (šljapvam), зашлевявам (zašlevjavam)
• Catalan: bufetejar (ca)
• Cherokee: ᎠᏏᏛᏂᎭ (asidvniha)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Dutch: meppen (nl), kletsen (nl)
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: läimäyttää (fi), läpsäyttää, läpäyttää, läpsäistä (fi)
• French: gifler (fr) (slap in the face) , fesser (fr) (slap on the bum)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: klatschen (de), (leicht) schlagen (de), patschen (de), ohrfeigen (de)
• Gothic: 𐌺𐌰𐌿𐍀𐌰𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (kaupatjan)
• Greek: χαστουκίζω (el) (chastoukízo), σφαλιαρίζω (el) (sfaliarízo)

  Ancient: ῥαπίζω (rhapízō)

• Hungarian: pofon vág, képen töröl, arcul üt, arcul csap
• Ido: frapar (io)
• Indonesian: menampar (id)
• Italian: schiaffeggiare (it), colpire (it), dare una pacca a
• Japanese: ひっぱたく, 平手打ちする (ja)
• Khmer: ទះ (km) (teah), ទះកំផ្លៀង (teah kɑmplieŋ)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: زلە لێدان‎ (zle lêdan), چەپۆک لێدان‎ (çepok lêdan)

• Latin: depalmo, alapam dō
• Maori: taupaki, pāhia
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norman: charbousseter, cliaper, cliatchi, cliamûser
• Norwegian: fike, slå (no)
• Persian: سیلی زدن‎ (sili zadan)
• Portuguese: esbofetear (pt)
• Quechua: ch'aqlay
• Russian: шлёпать (ru) impf (šljópatʹ), шлёпнуть (ru) pf (šljópnutʹ), дава́ть пощёчину impf (davátʹ poščóčinu), дать пощёчину pf (datʹ poščóčinu) (to slap somebody's face)
• Spanish: abofetear (es), cachetear (es)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: tokatlamak (tr), vurmak (tr), şamarlamak (tr), sille atmak, aşk etmek (tr)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Volapük: flapilön

to cause something to strike soundly

• Finnish: mätkäyttää (fi), läpsäistä (fi), mätkäistä
• Italian: sbattere (it)
• Spanish: golpear (es)
• Turkish: pat diye ses çıkarmak

To place, to put carelessly

• Dutch: neerkwakken (nl)
• Finnish: lyödä (fi), mätkäyttää (fi), roiskia (fi)
• Italian: sbattere (it), scaraventare (it)
• Spanish: aventar (es)

Adverb

slap (not comparable)

1. Exactly, precisely

   He tossed the file down slap in the middle of the table.

   • 1864, Tony Pastor, John F. Poole, Tony Pastor's Complete Budget of Comic Songs (page 63)

     They called the tom-cat to the trap, / Who molrowed as he smelt at the door, O— / Opened his mouth and swallowed him slap, / All the while most profanely he swore, O!

Synonyms

• just, right, slap bang, smack dab; see also Thesaurus:exactly

Translations

exactly

• Bulgarian: точно (bg) (točno), направо (bg) (napravo)
• Spanish: justo (es) n

Anagrams

• ALPs, APLS, APLs, ASPL, Alps, PALS, PALs, PLAs, Pals, Plas, SPLA, alps, laps, pals, salp

Danish

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ap

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German slap.

Adjective

slap

1. loose
2. limp
3. slack
4. weak (muscles)
5. flaccid
6. lax

Inflection

Inflection of slap
	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Common singular	slap	slappere	slappest2
Neuter singular	slapt	slappere	slappest2
Plural	slappe	slappere	slappest2
Definite attributive1	slappe	slappere	slappeste
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used. 2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

slap

1. past tense of slippe

References

• “slap” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch slap. Cognate with German schlaff and schlapp.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slɑp/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: slap
• Rhymes: -ɑp

Adjective

slap (comparative slapper, superlative slapst)

1. slack
2. weak

Inflection

Inflection of slap
uninflected	slap
inflected	slappe
comparative	slapper
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		slap	slapper	het slapst het slapste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	slappe	slappere	slapste
	n. sing.	slap	slapper	slapste
	plural	slappe	slappere	slapste
definite		slappe	slappere	slapste
partitive		slaps	slappers	—

Derived terms

• slapheid
• slapjanus
• slappeling
• slapperik
• slapte
• verslappen

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: slap

Anagrams

• plas

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *slāp. Compare Old English slǣp, Old High German slāf.

Noun

slāp m

1. sleep

Declension

Declension of slāp (masculine a-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	slāp	slāpos
accusative	slāp	slāpos
genitive	slāpes	slāpō
dative	slāpe	slāpum
instrumental	—	—

Scots

Noun

slap (plural slaps)

1. A gap in a fence.
   • 1790, Robert Burns, Tam o' Shanter:

     The mosses, waters, slaps and stiles, / That lie between us and our hame

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

2. A narrow cleft between hills.

Verb

slap

1. (transitive) To break an opening in.

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *solpъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /slâːp/

Noun

slȃp m (Cyrillic spelling сла̑п)

1. (geology) waterfall

Declension

Declension of slap

	singular	plural
nominative	slȃp	slápovi
genitive	slapa	slapova
dative	slapu	slapovima
accusative	slap	slapove
vocative	slape	slapovi
locative	slapu	slapovima
instrumental	slapom	slapovima

References

• “slap” in Hrvatski jezični portal

Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *solpъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sláːp/

Noun

slȃp m inan

1. (geology) waterfall

Inflection

Masculine inan., hard o-stem
nom. sing.	sláp
gen. sing.	slápa
	singular	dual	plural
nominative (imenovȃlnik)	sláp	slápa	slápi
genitive (rodȋlnik)	slápa	slápov	slápov
dative (dajȃlnik)	slápu	slápoma	slápom
accusative (tožȋlnik)	sláp	slápa	slápe
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	slápu	slápih	slápih
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	slápom	slápoma	slápi

Masculine inan., hard o-stem, mobile accent, plural in -ôv-
nom. sing.	sláp
gen. sing.	slapú
	singular	dual	plural
nominative (imenovȃlnik)	sláp	slapôva	slapôvi
genitive (rodȋlnik)	slapú	slapôv	slapôv
dative (dajȃlnik)	slápu	slapôvoma	slapôvom
accusative (tožȋlnik)	sláp	slapôva	slapôve
locative (mẹ̑stnik)	slápu	slapôvih	slapôvih
instrumental (orọ̑dnik)	slápom	slapôvoma	slapôvi

Further reading

• “slap”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈlap/ [esˈlap]
• Rhymes: -ap

Noun

slap m (plural slaps)

1. (Peru) flip-flop, thong (Australia), jandal (New Zealand)

   Synonyms: bamba, chancla, (Venezuela) chola, (Argentina) ojota, (Peru) sayonara

Tày

Pronunciation

• (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA^(key): [ɬaːp̚˧˥]
• (Trùng Khánh) IPA^(key): [θaːp̚˦]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Tai *saːpᴰ.

Noun

slap

1. cockroach

Etymology 2

Adverb

slap

1. in a quiet whispery, breathy, hushed voice

   phuối slap vạ căn ― to whisper each other

References

• Hoàng Văn Ma; Lục Văn Pảo; Hoàng Chí (2006) Từ điển Tày-Nùng-Việt [Tay-Nung-Vietnamese dictionary] (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Từ điển Bách khoa Hà Nội