benchslap

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noun

A judicial ruling or opinion that is harsh or humiliating towards a particular party, attorney, or lower court opinion.

Scrabble 18
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Meanings

nounbenchslap (plural benchslaps)

plural benchslaps

  1. slanglawA judicial ruling or opinion that is harsh or humiliating towards a particular party, attorney, or lower court opinion.
    1 more example

    2012, Mark V. Holmes, United States Tax Court, Tigers Eye Trading, LLC v. Commissioner (dissenting), 138 T.C. No. 6, p. 211. Of all the routines in judicial gymnastics, few have a higher degree of difficulty than the reverse benchslap, and we're trying for a combination double with our Opinion today.

verbbenchslap (third-person singular simple present benchslaps, present participle benchslapping, simple past and past participle benchslapped)

present singular third person benchslaps · participle present benchslapping · participle past benchslapped · past benchslapped

  1. slangtransitivelawTo issue a judicial ruling or opinion that is harsh or humiliating towards a particular party, attorney, or lower court opinion.

Origin

Blend of bench + bitch slap.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

benchslap. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/benchslap

MLA

“benchslap.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/benchslap. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “benchslap,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/benchslap.

Source: benchslap on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.