slap on the wrist
/ˈslæp ɑn ðə ˈɹɪst/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.69 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
1
Syllables
12
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
Synonym of wrist-slap.
verb
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see slap, wrist.
noun
Synonym of wrist-slap.
noun
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see slap, wrist.
Example Sentences
- "Gorbachev played a skillful diplomatic game in Asia. While enhancing Soviet relations with South Korea—moving from no ties to full diplomatic relations in only three years— he continued to back North Korea, though slapping its leader on the wrist for its nuclear program. While Soviet trade with South Korea will rise from $85 million in 1985 to an estimated $1 billion in 1995, Moscow continued to provide $1 billion in aid to North Korea and to equip the 1.1 million troops in its armed forces with Soviet weapons."
- "He got a slap on the wrist, but I don't think he'll reform."
- "Although he permitted "slap on the wrist" against the procurement personnel who misprocured on the basis of incorrect technical information, he did nothing against those technical personnel who "perpetrated misconceptions" and disseminated "statements which were inaccurate, unproven, inconsistent" and who were "biased against JRL interests" and who thus misled these procurement personnel."
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈslæp ɑn ðə ˈɹɪst/
- British English: /ˈslæp ɒn ðə ˈɹɪst/