slippery slope

English

Noun

slippery slope (plural slippery slopes)

1. (figuratively) A chain of events that, once initiated, cannot be halted; especially one in which the final outcome is undesirable or precarious.

   Synonyms: thin edge of the wedge, thin end of the wedge

   I think basing your actions off an assumption like that is a slippery slope that is going to get you in trouble.

   • 1959, United States Department of State, quoting Mr. Gromyko, “Seventh Session, May 19, 1959”, in International Organization and Conference Series:

     But our conference would find itself on a slippery slope if we started to dig over the past and look for material for recriminations and mutual accusations.

   • 1964 November, P. F. Winding, “Re-shaping the LMR's North Western Line - 2”, in Modern Railways, page 346:

     The path of closures and withdrawals is a slippery slope that can by itself create in the mind of the public—and particularly traders—the impression of a fading and diminishing concern.

   • 2019 May 20, Walter Thompson, “A school's mural removal: should kids be shielded from brutal US history?”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     “What we’re looking at is the classic slippery slope,” he said. “If the murals can be destroyed, then no work of art that anyone finds offensive is going to be safe. And that’s an awful lot of art.”

2. (by extension) A logical fallacy in which a party asserts that a particular result will probably follow from a given decision or circumstance, without necessarily providing any rational argument for the likelihood of the assumed consequence.

Translations

chain of events

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 滑坡 (waat⁶ bo¹)

  Mandarin: 滑坡 (zh) (huápō)

• Finnish: kalteva pinta (fi)
• French: pente glissante (fr) f, pente savonneuse (fr) f
• Hungarian: csúszós lejtő
• Polish: równia pochyła f
• Russian: ско́льзкий путь (ru) m (skólʹzkij putʹ), ско́льзкая доро́жка (ru) f (skólʹzkaja doróžka)

argument that follows a chain of events to some conclusion

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 滑坡謬誤／滑坡谬误 (waat⁶ bo¹ mau⁶ ng⁶)

  Mandarin: 滑坡謬誤／滑坡谬误 (huápō miùwù)

• Finnish: kaltevan pinnan argumentti
• German: Dammbruchargument n
• Russian: please add this translation if you can

See also

• domino effect
• negative feedback
• point of no return
• snowball effect
• tipping point
• vicious circle

References

• “slippery slope”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.