a slippery slope

Meaning: A small step that leads to worse and worse consequences.

Language: English

Literally: (Already vivid in English)

Example: “Checking work emails on vacation is a slippery slope.”

Category: Nature

Origin: Once one starts sliding down a slippery hill, one cannot stop. It is used for this kind of argument from the 20th century.

Equivalents in other languages

French: Mettre le doigt dans l'engrenage — literally: To put one's finger in the gears

separate the wheat from the chaff — To distinguish what is valuable from what is worthless.
promise the moon — To promise something impossible to deliver.
Indian summer — A period of warm weather in autumn; also a late, happy period in life.
drag someone's name through the mud — To damage someone's reputation publicly.
as old as the hills — Extremely old.
can't see the forest for the trees — Too focused on details to understand the whole situation.

snug as a bug in a rug — Very warm and comfortable.
breathe down someone's neck — To watch someone too closely, or to be close behind them.
champ at the bit — To be impatient to start.
at cross purposes — To misunderstand each other or work toward conflicting goals.
a Bible thumper — A person who is aggressively or tiresomely religious.
one swallow does not make a summer — One good sign does not mean things will continue that way.

Dickkopf — A pig-headed, unyielding person — their skull is so thick no new idea can penetrate it.
空気が読めない (kūki ga yomenai) — Completely oblivious to the unspoken social mood — the person who kills the atmosphere wi…
눈치가 없다 (nunchi ga eopda) — Hopelessly socially oblivious — can't pick up on emotional cues, awkward silences, or uns…