It is well known that the term slip, as used among archaeologists, has no uniform connotation; nor has it been defined satisfactorily either by archaeologists or by technologists. The loose and indiscriminate practice of subjective “slip reckoning” has produced numerous fallacies and untenable “classifications” in literature. The purpose of this note is to consider the properties and functions of a slip with respect to archaeological pottery. Any concern with historical retrospects of cogent nomenclature, or with individual instances illustrating misconceptions and confusions, lies outside my present scope. Nor is it my intention to settle any “problem.”