to let slip
5
5.6
- phrasal verb
- /lɛt slɪp/
:
dejar escapar
- She didn't mean to let slip the secret about the surprise party planned for her friend.
- let slip a secret
- let slip some details
- let slip the word
So this is a clip of Jennifer Coolidge on a red carpet, and she lets slip her real voice.
- So this is a clip of Jennifer Coolidge on a red carpet, and she lets slip her real voice.
- And I it's, I don't think he actually said who it was, but he did let slip the initials of of the person.
Examples
-
Vivienne had let slip that Beth would be there and that, where Oliver was concerned, was like aniseed to a dog.
Fiction book (1995) -
Of all the secrets she could have let slip, why this one?
Fiction book (1998) -
The name my mother let slip.
Fiction book (1996) -
Now she had even let slip that she had scrimped and saved for the Italian classes.
Fiction book (1997) -
Until today, when she lets slip the tidbit about trust.
Fiction book (2000) -
Just a few nights ago, we were all hanging out together when he let slip a comment about his sister that had us practically speechless for the better part of an hour.
-
Dawlish, the Auror, has let slip that the Potter boy will not be moved until the 30th of this month.
-
Five days ago, in front of the press, who were now spreading lies about their tax returns, he'd let slip the phrase "I'm not a crook."
Academic text (2012) -
You know how Taylor Lautner let slip that there's a "big twist" in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2?
Blog text (28) -
During the interview, he accidentally let slip his upcoming promotion before it was officially announced.
Synonyms
313
4.9
To say something casually to give a hint
164
4.5
To reveal secret information, often by mistake
114
3.4
Tell a secret on purpose or by accident
60
4.2
To show a feeling or secret without meaning to
43
6.0
To tell a secret or show feelings you were trying to hide
32
3.7
Tell secret or private information to other people
24
3.7
People find out secret information without permission
18
6.0
Tell a secret by accident before others know
12
6.3
To tell someone a secret that should be kept
5
5.1
To tell a secret that should be kept
1
6.5
Tell a secret and spoil a planned surprise
1
5.5
To tell a secret by accident and spoil a surprise
1
7.9
To tell a secret carelessly or without meaning to
To show your plans or ideas too early to others
To tell secrets without thinking
To make a secret known often without meaning to
Antonyms
How Revealing
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'let' (allow) and 'slip' (to escape/slide away) combine to give a plausible sense of 'allow something to escape', which maps onto revealing information. Cross-linguistically similar phrases (e.g. laisser échapper, dejar escapar) make the general idea somewhat accessible, but the specific nuance of inadvertent/revealing-by-speaking and its idiomatic use with secrets may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
The phrasal verb let slip comes from the image of let and slip: you let something slip from your hand or mouth and it falls out because you did not hold it. That's why it now means 'to reveal something by accident'.