It is so slick as to be slippery.

Question

Hi I am reading an article about windows 8 user interface, and I bumped into the following sentence:" It is so slick as to be slippery."What does it mean ?Regards.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

I am reading an article about windows 8 user interface, and I bumped into the following sentence:

" It is so slick as to be slippery."

What does it mean ?

The writer is playing with the meaning of words.
Literally, 'slick' means slippery. eg the floor was slick / the floor was slippery.
Figuratively, 'slick' means very, very clever. eg His business presentation was very slick.

The writer is using the figurative meaning of 'slick', and then switching to the literal meaning by comparing 'slick' to 'slippery'. He means that the new interface is very, very clever and easy to use.

A similar example would be eg the word 'sharp' meaning smart.
Consider eg Tom is so sharp that he might cut himself.

Clive

Developer · Answer

As Always Thanks Clive <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

It is so slick as to be slippery.

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