slap down

Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.

Related to slap down: slap on the back

slap

(slăp)

a. A sharp blow made with the open hand or with a flat object; a smack.

b. The sound of such a blow.

2. A sharp insult: a slap to one's pride.

v. slapped, slap·ping, slaps

v.tr.

1. To strike with the palm of the hand or a flat object: slapped him in the face.

2. To cause to strike forcefully and loudly: "He took a clipping from his wallet and slapped it on the bar" (Nathanael West).

3. To put or place quickly or carelessly: slapped butter on a bagel.

a. To subject to a legal obligation, such as a fine or court order: slapped him with a speeding ticket; slapped her with a lawsuit.

b. To impose (a legal obligation) on someone: The judge slapped an additional fine on the unruly defendant.

v.intr.

To strike or beat with the force and sound of a slap: waves slapping against the raft.

adv. Informal

Directly and with force: drove slap into the guardrail.

Phrasal Verb:

slap down

To restrain or correct by emphatic censure; rebuke: "thought [he] was getting a little uppity and needed to be slapped down" (New York Times).

Idiom:

slap on the wrist

A nominal or token punishment.

[Middle English slappe.]

slap′per n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

slap down

(tr, adverb) informal to rebuke sharply, as for impertinence

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Translations

w>slap down

vt sep (inf)

(= put down) → hinknallen

(fig) to slap somebody down → jdm eins aufs Dach or auf den Deckel geben (inf); to be slapped down → eins aufs Dach or auf den Deckel bekommen (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

He said she would slap down a line, and if she couldn't find anything to rhyme with it would just scratch it out and slap down another one, and go ahead.

View in context

'In full and slap down, do you mean, Mr Riah?' asked Fledgeby, to make things quite explicit.

View in context

ST Davids Scottish Tory chief Ruth Davidson, Business Secretary Greg Clark, former Brexit Secretary David Davis and former No10 policy tsar George Freeman all queued up to slap down Boris Johnson.

GOOD DAY

I reckon Theresa May only saved these annoying coins because she wanted to slap down her stroppy Chancellor.

Pennies I've had my Phil!

JASON HARRIES is hellbent on helping Edinburgh slap down the Scarlets - and wipe away the memory of being robbed of a vital try.

Jason after better result

David Cameron insisted he was right to slap down Mr Trump's "very dangerous" comments about Muslims, but said he would meet with any presidential nominee if they were to visit the UK.

Cameron would be 'very happy' to MEETTRUMP

Walsh said: "We argued the slap down the shoulder on the approach to the last was corrective and for safety.