a slap in the face

noun phrase

: a surprising act that offends or insults someone

Her decision to leave the company to work for our competitors was a slap in the face.

Examples of a slap in the face in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While the president promised the 90-day change would ease high prices for staple foods like hamburgers, many domestic livestock producers took it as a slap in the face during an already-difficult time. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

The line comes across as a slap in the face to tradition and the source material. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026

Having Woody return without a clear purpose seems like a slap in the face to Toy Story 4. — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026

It may be considered a slap in the face for Brook but that is his own fault and the result of the optics of England’s Test captain being caught out beyond midnight at the worst possible time. — Paul Newman, New York Times, 10 June 2026

Rhymes for a slap in the face

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase