Talk:give someone the slip

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Latest comment: 3 years ago by Equinox in topic Etymology
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Etymology[edit]

Latest comment: 3 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Unsure whether this is correct, but John Camden Hotten's Slang Dictionary (1873) says: "a sea phrase, and refers to fastening an anchor and chain cable to a floating buoy, or water-cask, until a time arrives when it is convenient to return and take them on board. In fastening the cable, the home end is SLIPPED through the hawse-pipe. Weighing anchor is a noisy task, so that giving the SLIP infers leaving quietly." Equinox ◑ 00:35, 3 October 2020 (UTC)Reply

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:give_someone_the_slip&oldid=60725268"