Wiktionary

slip-up

See also: slipup and slip up

English

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WOTD – 13 May 2019

Etymology

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Deverbal from slip up.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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slip-up (plural slip-ups)

  1. (idiomatic) A (small) error or mistake; a (minor) misstep.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:error
    I think she will forgive an accidental slip-up, so don’t worry too much about misspeaking.
    • [1839 November, “The District School as It Was. By One who Went to It.”, in Connecticut Common School Journal, volume II, number 4, Hartford, Conn.: Published under the direction of the Board of Commissioners of Common Schools; printed by Case, Tiffany & Co., […], →OCLC, page 60, column 1:
      The door step was a broad unhewn rock, brought from the neighboring pasture. It had not a flat and even surface, but was considerably sloping from the door to the road, so that in icy times the scholars in passing out used to snatch from the scant declivity the transitory pleasures of a slide. But look out for a slip-up, ye careless, for many a time have I seen an urchin's head where his feet were but a second before.]
    • 1867, Lucien de la Hodde, chapter XVI, in [John Wolcott Phelps], transl., The Cradle of Rebellions, a History of the Secret Societies of France, Galion, Oh.: A. Estill, […], →OCLC, pages 368–369:
      Fearing to advance upon unknown grounds lest he might meet with some of those slip-ups which kill an orator dead, he waits until the question, proposed by others, has become well set forth; then, having a clear perception of the subject, he enters the lists and conducts the attack by a well-known process at the bar—that of assailing the weakest point of the enemy.
    • 1867, Orpheus C. Kerr [pseudonym; Robert Henry Newell], “The Miller and His Men”, in Avery Glibun; or, Between Two Fires. A Romance, New York, N.Y.: G. W. Carleton & Co., publishers; London: S[ampson] Low, Son, & Co., →OCLC, page 166, column 2:
      Then, Old Hugo came near a bad slip-up; though he was only one of the gipsies. He was caught 'shoving the queer' in Newark and New York.
    • 1867 March 13, “C.”, “Games”, in The Advocate, volume III, number I, Cambridge, Mass.: Published […], by the students of Harvard College; press of John Wilson and Son, →OCLC, page 5, column 1:
      The chess-player also has need of a quick eye and a steady nerve; [...] However, the self-possession which he requires is to be distinguished from freedom from the momentary nervous excitement which causes so many "slip-ups" in billiards.
    • 1955 January 22, S. Roberts, “The Man who Made the Grade: A Short Story”, in Ram Singh, A. K. Mukerji, editors, Thought, air edition, volume VII, number 4, New Delhi: Printed on behalf of Siddhartha Publications Ltd., by R. L. Chadha at Naya Hindustan Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 9, column 2:
      [...] I was a little irritated with his attitude of pinpoint criticism and his habit of coming to me with reports of footling slip-ups which he could easily have set right himself or brought to the attention of the clerks concerned, [...]
    • 1957 February 8, Martin Kenneth Tytell (witness), “Testimony of Martin Kenneth Tytell, Accompanied by Chester T. Lane and Byron N[icholson] Scott, as Counsel”, in Scope of Soviet Activity in the United States: Hearings before the Subcommittee to Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Eighty-fifth Congress, First Session on the Scope of Soviet Activity in the United States: […] Part 66 […], Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 4111:
      And I went to the cemetery and I had the guide check the names, all of the names, I did not want any slipup.
    • 1964 June 26, Richard H[oward] Ichord [Jr.], “Testimony of John Howard Tillotson, Accompanied by Counsel, John F. Eisberg”, in Communist Activities in the Minneapolis, Minn., Area: Hearings before the Committee on Un-American Activities, House of Representatives, Eighty-eighth Congress, Second Session: […], Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 1923:
      That was a slip-up on the part of the committee. Everyone makes a mistake, and gentlemen, I hope you will not make that mistake again. Personally, I rather doubt that he [John Howard Tillotson] would have appeared in executive session even if this slip-up had not occurred, and the fact of the matter is that he did not avail himself of the opportunity when the time came.
    • 1992 February, Edward C. Starnes, “Book Review: A Soldier Supporting Soldiers: Joseph M. Heiser Jr., LTG (USA, Retd.): Center of Military History, Washington, D.C., 1991, 323 pages. [...]”, in Claire B. Starnes, editor, Ordnance: The Professional Bulletin of the Ordnance Soldier (PB; 9-92-1), Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.: U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 63, column 2:
      He [Joseph M. Heiser Jr.] praises the ordnance soldier and logistician and blames improperly used systems, misunderstandings as to how programs were to work, poor communications and leadership as the problems for many of the slipups in logistical support to the Army in the field, especially in the combat areas in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
    • 2009 January 22, Andrew Das, “Bitter days turn sweet for fans of Cardinals”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 May 2019:
      How difficult is it to pick 10 playoff games correctly? [...] Even the current leader Alan Sasso, who earned 261 points through the conference championships had one slipup.
    • 2012 June 29, Kevin Mitchell, “Roger Federer back from Wimbledon 2012 brink to beat Julien Benneteau”, in The Guardian‎[2], archived from the original on 15 November 2016:
      For the second year in a row at Wimbledon, Roger Federer went to five sets against a Frenchman but this time there would be no slip-ups.

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  NODES
eth 2
games 2
see 3
Story 3