Meaning of Idiom ‘Kiss Off’
1. To tell someone to kiss off is to tell them forcefully and contemptuously to go away or get lost; to make it clear to someone that you do not want them in your life or that you do not wish to associate with them; to dismiss or reject something; to fire someone. (Phrasal verb and noun)1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.
2. To have to accept the loss of something or the end of something.
3. To die (rare slang). 3Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.
Usage Notes
Kiss off is used as a noun or a verb. It’s often used in the form of ‘give someone the kiss off.’
Examples Of Use
“Look, kiss off. I’ve got work to do and I can’t listen to your nonsense all day.”
“Either you get your grades up or you can kiss off the football team,” said the coach. “Those are the rules.”
“They gave him the kiss off after twenty years with the company. Not even so much as a severance package was offered.”
“After telling the media to kiss off, the actor stopped to take selfies with fans and then went to the local court for a game of basketball.”
“I think its time you tell him to kiss off. He’s caused nothing but trouble for you.’
Origin
Used since the 1930s, this idiom may have originated in gangster culture, possibly as a reference to murder or death. It is an allusion to ‘kissing someone (or something) goodbye.”
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- Know Where One Stands
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