to slam-dunk

[ostap77]

When a person says they're going to do all they can to slam-dunk a job interview, do they mean to pass an interview and get a job?

 

[Rover_KE]

It could be understood to mean that.

 

[MikeNewYork]

In basketball, a "slam dunk" is a shot that almost cannot be missed.

 

[Raymott]

I'm no basketball oficionado, but I always thought a slam dunk was when a player forcefully thrusts the ball into the net from above, leaving no doubt about where the ball is going.
But I suppose it could have more than one meaning, ie. the shot before it's played and the way the shot is played.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Usually not. And outside of basketball, it generally means a "sure thing".

 

[Raymott]

Usually not. And outside of basketball, it generally means a "sure thing".

OK, well my sources say it's the making of the shot that makes it a slam dunk in basketball.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slam_dunk
I accept that outside of basketball it might mean a sure thing. That gives it the two meanings that I was referring to.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Since the OP's question did not involve basketball, I see only one meaning.

 

[Barb_D]

But I've never seen it used as a verb.
The interview may be a slam dunk but you don't "slam dunk the interview."

 

[Raymott]

The interview may be a slam dunk but you don't "slam dunk the interview."

Yes, that's what made me think that the writer had the other meaning (playing the shot) in mind.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I have heard it relatively often.

 

[Rover_KE]

Most dictionaries here mention the verb usage.