English

Noun

slippery slope ‎(plural slippery slopes)

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

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

Usage notes

• A slippery slope argument in logic, critical thinking, political rhetoric, and caselaw, is a consequentialist logical device in which a party asserts that a particular result will probably (or even must inevitably) follow from a given decision or circumstance, without necessarily providing any rational argument or demonstrable mechanism for the likelihood of the assumed consequence.

See also

• domino effect
• point of no return
• snowball effect

Translations