Slippering is the term to describe the act of spanking the buttocks with the sole of a slipper, slide, or plimsoll. The verb "to slipper" means "to give a slippering".

A slippering results in a sharp stinging from the immediate impact, followed (especially with cumulative strokes) by a sensation of the buttocks feeling warm. The stinging and redness brought about are relatively brief, but mild discomfort can linger anywhere from a few minutes to up to an hour depending on: the number of strokes, the speed at which the strokes are administered, the intensity of the strokes, and the recipient's pain tolerance. Both the carpet slipper and the plimsoll are similar in their use and general effects, albeit with the plimsoll being the firmer of the two. Slippering is generally considered a less intense form of spanking compared to the likes of paddling, tawsing, and caning.

Slipperings are particularly associated with Britain and Commonwealth countries (although not exclusively so), and with corporal punishment in both the home and education.

Slippering can be done consensually as part of erotic spanking.

Until at least the 1970s, slippering was widely used by British parents as a means of punishing children and adolescents. There has been very little data, research or evidence compiled about the use of slippering. Information is mainly based on anecdotal reports from individuals who have given, received, or observed slipperings, or who have been in households or schools where slipperings were used. Slippering as a means of punishing children and adolescents has been historically common in Latin American, South Asian and West Asian cultures.

In the United Kingdom, especially in England and Wales, the slipper was a common implement for administering corporal punishment in schools for students of both genders and all ages. In schools that used the cane as the ultimate penalty, the slipper was seen as a less severe alternative for punishing less serious misconduct. In some mixed schools, the slipper was used on girls and the cane was reserved for boys.

"Slipper" is a misnomer, as the usual item of footwear used was the plimsoll, dap or gym shoe or tennis shoe, with a fabric upper and a heavy rubber or synthetic sole. This could deliver a very painful stroke, depending on the force with which it was used, and the size and flexibility of the particular slipper; a size 11, well-worn, flexible slipper would deliver more sting than one that was new and stiff. Though not a slipper in the usual sense of the term, in England the implement used was invariably referred to as "the slipper" by teachers and pupils alike, presumably on account of its similarity to the type of carpet slipper used for parental punishments.

The slipper was also widely used to enforce discipline outside lesson time within the boarding houses of boarding schools, especially preparatory schools. This "informal", on-the-spot type of discipline was typically not recorded in the official punishment register, as it was not seen as sufficiently serious to be classified as real corporal punishment. It could also be administered by staff who were not officially authorised to administer formal corporal punishment, i.e. the cane.