to kiss off
7
8.7
- phrasal verb
- /kɪs ɔf/
- Offensive
- If I were them, I'd put up a bunch of ads from networks and affiliates and tell them (Philly) to kiss off.
Examples
-
Kiss off, dude!
-
Tell them to kiss off.
Blog text (11) -
Kiss off, you old tyrant.
-
So the GOP can kiss off the Hispanic vote.
Blog text (9) -
I was so angry that I told him to kiss off and never come back.
-
When my boss asked me to work late again, I decided to kiss off that idea.
-
If she can't respect my decision, then she can just kiss off.
Synonyms
171
9.9
Leave or tell someone to leave in a rude way
78
9.9
To tell someone rudely that you do not care about their opinion or order
17
7.7
Leave a place quickly, often in a rude way
4
9.9
Tell someone to go away in a rude way
2
7.5
To reject someone quickly and rudely
1
8.5
Treat someone in a cold way and ignore them to show dislike
1
9.9
A rude way to tell someone to go away without the real swear word
1
9.9
To tell someone rudely to go away and leave you alone
To tell someone to go away using rude language
Antonyms
How Dismissive
- Offensive
7
8.7
28
6.3
∞
1.0
- Informal
29
3.9
9
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
kiss + off
The meaning 'to dismiss contemptuously / tell someone to go away' is not a predictable composition of 'kiss' (an affectionate action) and 'off' (a particle/verb with senses like away or kill). The phrase is idiomatic and its dismissive sense cannot be reliably inferred by a B1 learner who only knows the literal constituents, so prior exposure is normally required.
Etymology
Kiss off may come from the idea of giving someone a quick, mocking kiss and waving them off as a rude 'goodbye' that tells them to 'go away'. That's why it now means 'to dismiss someone'.