slipping

verb

1. (form-of, gerund, participle, present)present participle and gerund of slip

noun

1. The act of something that slips; a slip; a skidding or sudden loosening motion.

   “slippings and slidings”

   “Experiments on steep inclines in the United States showed that washing the rails with a detergent to remove oil and grease resulted in a marked improvement; but conditioning the rails with a special neutralising chemical completely eliminated slipping on a bank on which it was so common as to necessitate restriction of trainloads.”

   “The "King" responded well to this treatment and would have maintained 60 m.p.h. up the steepest part had it not been for a brief bout of slipping, which was quickly corrected by Driver Bailes ("Autumn leaves", he remarked laconically).”