A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

slip road • slipway
slip road —(UK) a road that runs parallel to a motorway,
allowing to gain or lose speed safely while joining or leaving
it: Temporary closure of a slip road at Carrington signals the
final phase in the massive motorway widening project.
Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase slippery road—
1
. a road whose smooth surface is likely
to cause a vehicle to slip: Suddenly you realize there’s a large
boulder lying dead ahead in your lane. You know you can’t
stop in time on this slippery road. 2. a precarious course: If we
embark on this slippery road, we will not keep the country.
We must rid ourselves of any great-power chauvinism.
– 299 –
slip road

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slipway —a sloping path down to the water for ships or
boats: Stena Paris is laid on wooden rails which are lubricated
to help the ship slide down into the water from the slipway.
slip up on something • slip up something
slip up on something —make a mistake in smth.: I’d easily
give this book five stars, except that the publishers have slipped
up on one point: all the photos are reproduced in black and
white.
slip up something —move quietly and gently over the surface
of smth.: Easily, on the flowing tide … the boat has slipped
up the channel between the two lines of sand-hill.
slippery customer • smooth customer
slippery customer —a clever and deceitful person; smb. one
should not trust: Watch out for that guy with the big padded
coat. He may snatch something. He’s a real slippery customer.
smooth customer —an excessively suave or ingratiating per-
son: Dobeliou is a smooth customer who does not have to act
to seem sincere and trustworthy. He is the perfect choice for
a front man to sell the product.
See also: rough customer / tough customer.