What does "Slippery customer" mean?

Someone who is evasive or difficult to pin down. A person who is cunning and hard to catch or hold accountable—they slip away from consequences.

How do you use "Slippery customer" in a sentence?

He's a slippery customer—can't trust him. She's a slippery customer in negotiations. The con man was a slippery customer.

Slippery customer

Slang Term BritishAustralian ★★★☆☆ Moderate Neutral

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Meaning: Someone who is evasive or difficult to pin down.

善于逃避或难以追究的人。

Alguien que es evasivo o difícil de atrapar.

言い逃れがうまい、または捕まえにくい人。

교활하고 잡기 어려운 사람.

A person who is cunning and hard to catch or hold accountable—they slip away from consequences.

狡猾且难以抓住或追究责任的人——他们总能逃脱后果。

Una persona astuta y difícil de atrapar o hacer responsable; se escabulle de las consecuencias.

狡猾で捕まえにくい、または責任を問いにくい人。結果から逃れてしまう。

교활하고 잡기 어렵거나 책임을 묻기 힘든 사람—결과를 교묘히 피해 빠져나간다.

Literal meaning: Customer who is slippery (hard to hold)

Examples

He's a slippery customer—can't trust him.
他是个滑头，不能信任
Es un pájaro de cuidado, no te puedes fiar
彼は油断ならない奴だ。信用できない
그는 교활한 놈이다—믿을 수 없어.
She's a slippery customer in negotiations.
她在谈判中很狡猾
Es muy escurridiza en las negociaciones
彼女は交渉で油断ならない
그녀는 협상에서 빈틈없는 상대다.
The con man was a slippery customer.
那个骗子是个老滑头
El estafador era un pájaro de cuidado
その詐欺師は油断ならない奴だった
그 사기꾼은 교활한 놈이었다.

Pronunciation

/ˈslɪpəri ˈkʌstəmə/

Usage Guide

Context: evasive, untrustworthy, cunning

Tone: warning, suspicious

✓ Do Say

He's a slippery customer.
他是个滑头
Es un pájaro de cuidado
彼は油断ならない奴だ
그는 교활한 놈이다.
What a slippery customer.
真是个滑头
Vaya pájaro
なんて油断ならない奴だ
정말 교활한 녀석이군.
Dealing with a slippery customer.
在和一个滑头打交道
Tratando con alguien escurridizo
油断ならない奴を相手にしている
교활한 놈을 상대하고 있다.

✗ Don't Say

Evasive person
Evasive person（善于逃避的人）
Evasive person (persona evasiva)
Evasive person（言い逃れがうまい人）
교활한 사람
Hard to pin down
Hard to pin down（难以追究）
Hard to pin down (difícil de atrapar)
Hard to pin down（捕まえにくい）
잡기 어려운 사람

Common Mistakes

British expression
Sometimes just 'slippery character'

Origin & History

From something slippery being hard to hold.

Etymology: British idiom

First recorded: 19th century

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional to present

Generation: Older speakers mainly

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: British mystery novels; Business contexts

Regional notes: British and Australian expression.

Variations

Slippery customerSlippery characterA slippery one