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Glite Dictionary
to slip my mind

to slip my mind

24 3.4
To forget something you planned to do by accident
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : olvidarse
  • I meant to call you yesterday, but it completely slipped my mind.
  • it just slipped my mind
  • slipped my mind completely
  • it totally slipped my mind

Examples

  • "I meant to do that, but it slipped my mind.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • "I thought so, too, Michael, but it slipped my mind.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Oh, it must have slipped my mind.

    A Walk in the Woods (2015)

  • Yeah, well, it must have slipped my mind.

    Like Mike (2002)

  • You know, it slipped my mind.

    Black Dog (1998)

  • "The direction just slipped my mind for a minute," Mr. Head said, and they turned down a different street.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • I recognized him now, although his name slipped my mind.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Isn't it funny how a little thing like that can slip your mind?

    Fiction book (1990)

  • It slipped my mind until now, but I still think, you know, we should get together, talk about it.

    Chain of Fools (2001)

  • It just slipped my mind; I was going to tell you.

    Fiction book (1992)

Synonyms

to slip one's mind
vsto slip my mind
  • Informal
4.4

Forget to do something you planned to do

has identical sense but uses a different pronoun form

Antonyms

to remember
∞ 1.0

To think about something from the past

to recall
5 3.4

Bring someone's attention back from daydreaming

How Easily Forgotten

to forget
∞ 1.0
to slip my mind
  • Informal
24 3.4
to remember
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

slip my mind infinitive
slipped my mind past
slipped my mind past participle
slipping my mind present participle
slips my mind third person singular

Morphology

slip + mine + mind

The phrase maps directly onto a simple physical-to-mental metaphor: if something "slips" (moves out of reach) from your "mind" (memory), it has been forgotten. An average B1 learner who knows the meanings of 'slip', the possessive 'my', and 'mind' can infer this meaning without prior exposure, so the expression is transparently compositional.

Etymology

Slip my mind comes from a simple image: a thought that slips out of your mind, like something quietly sliding away from you. That's why it means 'to be forgotten'.