Meaning Of Idiom “Get Out of My Hair”
When we say get out of my hair we are telling someone to stop bothering us or annoying us. This expression is usually used as an imperative when someone is being annoying and won’t leave you alone. It is a response to someone being in your hair. Native English speakers often render this expression as “get outa my hair.”
The idiom can also be used as “get someone out of one’s hair,” e.g. “I need to get this work done if I’m going to get my supervisor out of my hair.”
When this idiom is used as an imperative, it is understood that someone is “in one’s hair.” It should not be confused with “get something out of one’s hair,” which means to wash or remove something from one’s hair.
Sentence Examples
“Would you please just get out of my hair. I need to study.”
“I need everyone to get out of my hair while I’m cooking dinner. It’s too crowded in this kitchen.”
“I know you want to get a kitten but I need you to get out of my hair about it right now.”
“I agreed to go to that college to get my parents out of my hair. But, I don’t really plan on going to college.”
“You think I’m just an old coat in your closet. That shows how much you know. There’s a constant stream of men in and out of here. I can’t get them out of my hair.” — Desk Set (1957)
“Anything?” “Not yet.” “What can I do?” “You can get out of my hair.” “Aye aye, Doctor.” — Star Trek: The Next Generation: Shades of Gray (1989)
“Oz, talking to you is like talking to a turnip. Only a turnip listens. Get out of my hair.” — Murder, She Wrote: The Big Show of 1965 (1990)
Origin
The sister-idiom “be in someone’s hair” or “get in someone’s hair” has been used since the mid-1800s. It is not clear when the present idiom came into use, but it seems to have been much later, perhaps sometime in the 1940s. For more, see the origin of be in someone’s hair.