slippery slope


noun

a dangerous and irreversible course: the slippery slope from narcotics to prison.

Origin of slippery slope

First recorded in 1985–90

Example sentences from the Web for slippery slope

Idioms and Phrases with slippery slope

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, in constant danger of falling. [Mid-1900s]