Meaning & use
feel slippery
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Meanings
phraselinking
to give the sensation of being smooth and wet or oily, so that things slide easily on it
Grammar: The subject is the thing that has the texture; 'feel' links it to the adjective 'slippery': The path feels slippery.
Patterns
- something feels slippery
- feel slippery to someone
Be careful — the bathroom floor feels slippery when it's wet.
The fish felt slippery in my hands, so I used a cloth to hold it.
After the rain, the steps felt slippery under our shoes.
phraselinkingfigurative
to seem difficult to hold, trust, or control, like something that keeps sliding away
Grammar: Used figuratively about ideas, situations, or people; the subject is the thing that seems hard to pin down.
Patterns
- something feels slippery
- feel slippery to someone
The truth about the deal feels slippery, and no one will give a clear answer.
His excuse felt slippery, as if he was changing the story each time.
Common combinations
- feel slippery when wet
- The tiles feel slippery when wet, so we put down a mat.
- feel slippery to the touch
- The lotion feels slippery to the touch at first, then it dries.
- slippery floor
- There's a slippery floor near the entrance, so walk slowly.
- slippery surface
- The boat's deck was a slippery surface after the waves splashed over it.
- feel wet and slippery
- The soap felt wet and slippery and shot out of my hand.
Synonyms and how they differ
- slimy
- Slimy suggests a thick, unpleasant, often living coating, while slippery just means things slide easily.
- greasy
- Greasy means covered with oil or fat; slippery is broader and can describe ice, wet floors, or soap.
- slick
- Slick is often used for a smooth, shiny surface that may be dangerous, and it sounds a little more literary than slippery.
Opposites
Word family
- slipperiness noun
- the quality of being slippery
- slipper noun
- a soft shoe worn indoors; related in spelling but not in meaning
Commonly confused: feel slippery or slippy?
feel slippery vs slippy
Slippy is an informal British word for slippery; in American English, slippery is the normal choice.
Practice
Choose the best sentence.
Choose one answer.
'Feels slippery' links the subject 'ice' to the adjective 'slippery' and needs no object. The other options add an object or clause that does not fit the linking pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “feel slippery”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.