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Glite Dictionary
on someone's ass

on someone's ass

9.9
To keep asking someone to do something all the time in an annoying, pushy way
  • idiom
  • Offensive
translation icon : (vulg.) estar encima de alguien
  • If we don't get this right, Walter will be out on his ass in two weeks, and so will we.

Examples

Synonyms

to get on someone's grill
vson someone's ass
  • Slang
9.9

To tell someone angrily that you do not like what they did

puts persistent pressure and repeatedly demands action or attention

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to leave alone
∞ 2.3

To avoid touching and disturbing a person, animal or object

How Persistent

to harass
302 4.0
on someone's ass
  • Offensive
9.9
to pester
34 3.2
to press
285 3.9
to remind
∞ 1.0
to nudge
24 4.1

Surface Forms

on someone's ass main

Morphology

on + someone's + ass

The literal constituents ('on' + possessive + 'ass') suggest physical position, but the MWE's meaning 'to pressure or nag someone' is a metaphorical extension (being physically on someone maps to pestering or pressuring) that is not fully predictable from the parts for a B1 learner. Similar patterns exist (e.g., 'on someone's back'), which gives a partial cue, but the specific pragmatic sense and vulgar register make it only partially transparent.

Etymology

On someone's ass comes from the picture of someone sitting on or crowding another person's ass, meaning the 'butt'. That's why the phrase now means 'to put pressure on someone' or 'to keep demanding action'.