Meaning of Idiom ‘Knock It Off’
To knock it off means to stop doing something that annoys or irritates you or that is inappropriate or rude. Knock it off means the same as “Stop it.”
Usage
Usually used as an imperative or order as in “Knock it off, Peter, or I’m going to tell mom.”
Examples Of Use
“Knock it off, kids. You’re making too much noise. You know your dad is trying to sleep.”
“Just knock it off. All this arguing is getting us nowhere.”
“Knock it off, Justine. I’m not going to the party and that is final.”
“Bob is complaining about the air conditioner again,” said Margaret. “Tell him to knock it off. He knows it will be fixed tomorrow. There is no point in whining about it.” said Pam.
Origin
Used since around 1900. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
More Idioms Starting with K
- Know Someone from Adam, to not
- Kiss Ass or Kiss Butt, to
- Keep Your Pants On
- Keep Your (or one’s) Ear to the Ground
- Keep an Open Mind
More Knock Idioms
More Off Idioms
Sources
| 1. | ↲ | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |