to slap together
3
6.0
- phrasal verb
- /slæp təˈɡɛðər/
- Informal
:
armar
- There's a foundation there already, rather than having one slapped together in a week or less.
- slap together sandwiches
Examples
-
They decided to slap together a makeshift shelter for the campers.
-
Sure, you can go to Walmart and buy an apple pie for six bucks, but it is made with low-quality ingredients, flat, and slapped together in a cardboard-tasting shell in a tiny tin pan.
Blog text (1) -
But it really almost seemed as though it was all slapped together within like a few weeks, if that makes sense.
-
I hate these types of movies, because they leave you thinking, well, this was slapped together, no beginning, no ending.
Blog text (24) -
Things like this are not slapped together at the last minute or on a whim.
Blog text (18) -
When you're slapping together complicated legislation at the last minute, don't expect much in the way of smart analysis.
Blog text (8) -
Chaos will ensue, with networks rushing to fill their schedules with whatever slapped-together, half-brained show they came up with after recovering from the shock.
Blog text (30) -
Nachos ($6.49) are another dish that is all too often slapped together and broiled without thought of how it will eat.
Blog text (5) -
I can quickly slap together a sandwich before the meeting starts.
-
With only an hour of preparation, she managed to slap together a presentation.
Synonyms
988
2.8
To make something by joining parts, like a model, plan or team
22
3.5
Make something quickly without much care or planning
21
5.3
To put things together quickly and roughly using what is available
16
5.2
Make something quickly and roughly from things you have
2
3.4
Mix a few ingredients quickly without much preparation
1
4.9
Make something quickly that will not last long
To put something together quickly and without care
Make something quickly and carelessly using what you have
To make something quickly and without care using what you have
To make something quickly and roughly using what is available
To join parts quickly in a careless, temporary way
To make a clumsy temporary fix quickly
To get a small amount of something quickly with little money or time
How Careful
∞
1.0
201
3.5
169
2.9
988
2.8
- Informal
3
6.0
- Informal
22
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
slap + together
The verb 'slap' conveys a quick, rough striking action and 'together' indicates combining into one unit, so the meaning 'assemble quickly and carelessly' is a natural metaphorical extension and largely inferable from the parts. However, the shift from a literal strike to the notion of careless assembly is figurative rather than strictly compositional, so learners may grasp the general idea but miss some nuance without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrasal verb slap together comes from the image of someone using a quick slap to push parts together by hand, making something fast and rough. So, it means 'to make something quickly and carelessly'.