let someone slide by
Fig. to permit someone to get past a barrier or a challenge too easily. You let too many students slide by. You need to be more rigorous. Don't let even one unqualified person slide by!
let something ride
Fig. to allow something to continue or remain as it is. It isn't the best plan, but we'll let it ride. I disagree with you, but I'll let it ride.
let something slip by
and let something slide by 1. Lit to permit something to move quickly by oneself. He let the ball slip by and he knew he had better get the next one. The careless cashier let the leaky milk carton slide by.
2. Fig. to forget or miss an important time or date. I'm sorry I just let your birthday slip by. I let it slide by accidentally.
3. Fig. to waste a period of time. You wasted the whole day by letting it slip by. We were having fun, and we let the time slide by.
let something slip (out)
Fig. to reveal a secret carelessly or by accident. I didn't let it slip out on purpose. It was an accident. John let the plans slip when he was talking to Bill.
let things slide
and let something slideFig. to ignore the things that one is supposed to do; to fall behind in the doing of one's work. I am afraid that I let the matter slide while I was recovering from my operation. If I let things slide for even one day, I get hopelessly behind in my work.
slide along
to slip or glide along. The sled slid along at a good clip down the gently sloping hill. We slid along on the icy roads and had a hard time stopping and turning.
slide around
to slip or skid around. Many cars slide around on the roads when they are icy. The pedestrians were sliding around on the icy pavement.
slide by
to get along with a minimum of effort. she didn't do a lot of work—she just slid by. Don't just slide by. Put in some effort.
slide down from something
to slip down on something from a higher place. Beth slid down from the top of the mound. The boys slid down from the roof of the shed and got their pants all dirty.
slide down something
to slip down something, such as a pole. The fire captain slid down the pole and ran to the engine. Please don't slide down the stairs. You'll ruin the carpet.
slide into something
to slip or glide into something, as a car going into a ditch. It was raining hard, and car after car slid into the ditch at the sharp turn near Wagner Road. Mary's car slid right into the side of a bus.
slide out of something
to slip or glide out of something without much effort. Mary slid out of the car and ran to the front door. The CD-ROM slid out of the computer.
slide over something
to slip or glide over something. The car almost slid over the edge of the cliff. We almost slid over the edge.
slide something around
to push, twist, or turn something around. (The thing must be movable, but not often on wheels.) Please slide the carton around and look at the address on the other side. Can you slide the refrigerator around so I can clean the back of it?
slide something into something
and slide something into insert something into something effortlessly. Henry slid the end of the seat-belt buckle into its holder and started the car. slide in the buckle and make sure it's tight.
slide something out of something
and slide something outto cause something to slip or glide out of something without much effort. The hunter slid his knife out of its sheath and got ready to skin the deer. He slid out the heavy box.
let ride
Also,
let slide. Allow something to be ignored or to take or continue in its natural course. For example,
Bill disagreed with Mary's description, but he let it ride, or
He had a way of letting things slide. The first term, alluding to things moving along as though they were riding a horse or vehicle, dates from the early 1900s; the variant, using
slide in the sense of "pass by," dates from the late 1500s. Also see under
let slip.
let slip
1. Also, let slip or slide by ; let slide. Miss an opportunity; waste time. For example, We forgot to buy a ticket and let our big chance slip by, or He let the whole day slide by. The first term dates from the mid-1500s, the variant from the late 1500s.
2. Also, let slip out. Reveal something, usually inadvertently, as in He let it slip out that he had applied for the vacant position. [Mid-1800s]
3. let slip through one's fingers. Fail to seize an opportunity, as in We could have won the trophy but we let it slip through our fingers. [First half of 1600s]