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Hello and welcome to the English We Speak with me, Faye

and me, Rob.

We may sound a little different, that's because we're not able to record in our

normal studios during the coronavirus pandemic. Now Rob why are you wearing those funny robber shoes today?

Well, it's in preparation for today's phrase, Faye,

What?

Our English expression today has nothing to do with wearing shoes.

Ah, but these are special rubber shoes to stop me sliding down any slippery slopes.

That is what we're talking about, isn't it?

Mm, well, sort of, but it's not really about slipping down a slope, only metaphorically.

Oh, right, so it's got something to do with easily descending downhill into something.

Yep, we describe a situation that is getting worse and will end in disaster unless it is stopped as a slippery

slope. Listen to these examples.

Having a glass of wine with your dinner is a slippery slope.

You'll end up finishing the whole bottle by the end of the evening.

Juan was on a slippery slope to getting the sack when he started missing important meetings with clients.

He's on a slippery slope to failure if he keeps missing the deadlines for his assignments.

This is the English we speak from BBC Learning English

and we're talking about the expression a slippery slope which describes a situation that is only

going to get worse it's basically a situation or problem that is going downhill

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