slippy

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   slippery; difficult to stand on, hold, or control because it is smooth or wet

   Rain made the stone steps dangerously slippy.

2. 2
   adj

   quick, alert, or nimble, especially in the dated British and Irish expression look slippy

   Look slippy, or we will miss the last train home.

Formed from slip + -y, with an Old English parallel slipig, "slippery, slimy, or sticky." The physical sense remains common in several British, Irish, and North American dialects. The dated phrase look slippy extends the idea of easy movement to mean "be quick or alert."

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary