Slap on the wrist?_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Slap on the wrist?

You know, dinner time, all family members are getting round the table to eat. The child, seeing, say, the chicken wings, cannot wait to get them. So, without even sitting down in his chair, the child goes straight to get them, leaning over the table in reaching for one of them, only to feel a sharp slap on the hand just before he/she could get to it. The slap on the hand is administered by the mother, who simply wants to help him/her have some table manners. “Wait,” she says, “till grandpa (and everyone else) is seated, and after you say your prayers.”

In China, the child is sometimes advised to eat last, i.e. after grandpa and everyone else senior have all moved their chopsticks, which is all the more reason why children here are tempted to steal a first bite at their favorite food and run a greater risk of getting slapped on the wrist.

Anyways, you get the picture. A slap on the wrist is an attempt to stop you from doing something wrong, but it’s a slight punishment because, well, no-one gets seriously hurt.

Hence, figuratively speaking, to give/get a slap on the wrist is to give/get a slight punishment – and let go of the matter thereafter.

Here are two more media examples:

1. The Army has reversed a decision to punish three officers for command failures that led to one of the deadliest firefights for U.S. forces since the Afghanistan war began nearly a decade ago.

Families of the soldiers killed during the battle said they were briefed Wednesday by Army officials on their call not to reprimand the officers for dereliction of duty. They were told punishing the three would have a chilling effect on other battlefield commanders who have to make crucial decisions.