slam dunk
30
3.0
- noun
- /slæm dʌŋk/
- Informal
:
éxito seguro
- The statewide expectations were that this case was a slam dunk for the government.
- slam dunk case
- slam-dunk win
- exactly a slam dunk
And I thought it was going to be a slam dunk, but they outlawed me.
- And I thought it was going to be a slam dunk, but they outlawed me.
- So it's no such thing, no such thing as a slam dunk in litigation.
- Now, you're right, at this point, it's not a slam dunk.
- No one of these reasons is a slam dunk.
- They haven't been all bad, but they haven't been a slam dunk hit.
- All narcissistic people are egocentric, but selfishness is not a slam dunk.
- And that's largely because there are people I, I think, are waiting for those slam dunks.
Examples
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Apple should be embarrassed that a third party makes a slam dunk like this when they themselves can't seem to get it right.
Blog text (25) -
We all thought Kevin was a slam dunk.
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Talk about a slam dunk.
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It's a slam dunk even for him.
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That to me is a slam dunk case the Supreme Court should take.
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I only advised, but to me, this decision is a slam dunk.
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For the average-day-joe, this is a slam dunk!
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According to legal experts, the Royal family's case is a slam dunk.
Blog text (29) -
By all accounts, Valentine would be a "slam dunk hire" who would turn the Orioles around.
Blog text (26) -
The new marketing strategy was a slam dunk, leading to record sales and customer engagement.
Synonyms
An easy win that is almost certain
Antonyms
How Certain
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal words 'slam' (forcefully hit) and 'dunk' (a forceful basketball shot) suggest a strong, decisive action, so a learner who knows both could infer a meaning related to a forceful, successful act. However, the noun sense 'an easy or guaranteed success' is a metaphorical extension tied to basketball/cultural knowledge and is not fully predictable from the parts alone, making it only partially transparent to a typical B1 learner.
Etymology
Slam dunk comes from that loud basketball move: because a slam and dunk normally give you easy points, people started using the phrase for something that is an 'easy win' or sure success. So calling a plan a slam dunk means it will almost certainly work.