to slap on
6
4.5
- phrasal verb
- /slæp ɑn/
- Informal
:
aplicar
- We'll slap on these UPC labels like so.
- slap on a coat
- slap on the paint
- slap on some cologne
OK, let's let's slap on a little eyeshadow.
- OK, let's let's slap on a little eyeshadow.
- And then the camera moves after it shows you a number of these lids being slapped on the cans.
- And, you know, a lot of stuff, a lot of the things that get tariffs slapped on them are things like aluminum and steel.
- It's just has different sort of layers of bullshit slapped on it.
- And I had to also ecstatically slap on Cologne all over my body.
- I am Francis and I can be whatever I want to be regardless of like what society tries to slap on me.
Examples
-
Time to slap on the barbecue sauce, boy!
-
OK, let's let's slap on a little eyeshadow.
-
Whereas an artist would just slap on some clay on each side, you know, and does it, maybe, the easier way.
-
And I had to also ecstatically slap on Cologne all over my body.
-
Alright, I'm going to slap on my eye primer and my my brows.
-
So after this, I think I'll just slap on some mascara and a lip and I will join you with the finished look for real this time.
-
She'd set up three easels and went from one to another, slapping on paint and doing a similar picture of boats in a harbor on each canvas.
Fiction book (1994) -
Before going out in the sun, don't forget to slap on some sunscreen to protect your skin.
-
She quickly slapped on some cream after her shower to keep her skin moisturized.
-
When painting the fence, it's best to slap on a coat of primer before the top color.
Synonyms
263
1.3
Put a substance onto a surface to cover it
3
8.1
To cover a surface roughly with a thick sticky substance
1
4.2
Put paint on a surface quickly without trying to be exact
To put a quick layer of something like sunscreen or paint on without care
To smear something roughly with paint, plaster, or another soft wet material
Antonyms
How Careful
59
3.3
263
1.3
11
2.8
- Informal
6
4.5
63
3.7
541
2.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal meanings of 'slap' (a quick, forceful contact) and 'on' (onto a surface) readily suggest putting something onto a surface quickly, so the sense 'apply something quickly' is a plausible compositional/metaphorical extension. However, the conventionalized use for applying substances (paint, cream) and the nuance of carelessness are partly idiomatic and may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
Slap on comes from the picture of someone giving a quick slap to put something on a surface, like paint or cream, without much care. That's why it means 'to apply something quickly or carelessly'.