Talk:give someone the slip

Etymology

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)