to pound sand
2
9.9
- idiom
- /paʊnd sænd/
- Offensive
:
irse a la mierda
- What happens if the Chinese demand payment and we tell them to go pound sand?
- told me to pound sand
- go pound sand
And when we're insured and then this coverage we're told is there for us when we need it tells us to pound sand.
- And when we're insured and then this coverage we're told is there for us when we need it tells us to pound sand.
Examples
-
Until the GOP can provide facts that reducing rates for the rich stimulates the economy, the GOP can pound sand.
Blog text (3) -
Such people can go pound sand in their arrogance!
Blog text (31) -
The National Guard has a wild party and tells them to go pound sand.
Blog text (15) -
The rest can pound sand for all I care.
Blog text (11) -
I suspect that a lot of them would also tell the government to go and pound sand.
Blog text (30) -
Until you release this data and put the controls back in place, you can pound sand on getting more of mine.
Blog text (16) -
So we told him, after making one counter, to pound sand.
Blog text (2) -
If they don't feel the same way, are the rest of us allowed to tell them to go pound sand?
Blog text (20) -
Go pound sand, idiot.
Blog text (31) -
If you don't want to help, then you can just go pound sand.
Synonyms
49
9.9
To tell someone rudely that you do not care about their opinion or order
38
9.9
Tell someone angrily to go away and that you will not accept their idea
2
9.9
Tell someone rudely to go away or leave you alone
1
9.9
A very rude way to tell someone you strongly refuse their idea or order
1
9.9
Tell someone to leave in a rude, angry way
1
9.9
Tell someone to go away and leave you alone
1
9.5
To tell someone rudely to leave
A rude phrase telling someone you refuse their request and they should go away
Rudely say to someone that you want them to go away
Rudely tell someone to go away and stop bothering you
To tell someone angrily to go away and leave you alone
To tell someone to go away in a rude, angry way
Angrily tell someone to go away
To leave a place quickly, often in a rude way
Antonyms
How Dismissive
- Offensive
- Offensive
2
9.9
332
3.0
716
1.7
312
2.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
pound + sand
The meaning 'go away / your request is rejected' is not derivable from the literal senses of 'pound' (to strike or crush) and 'sand' (granular material). The phrase functions as a contemptuous imperative telling someone to do a pointless action and is idiomatic and culture-specific, so a B1 learner who knows the words would not reliably infer this sense. Its informal, regional usage and lack of a clear cross-linguistic parallel further reduce compositional transparency.
Etymology
Pound sand may come from the image of someone trying to pound loose sand into place — a pointless, messy job because sand won't hold together. So telling someone to 'pound sand' is a rude way to say 'go away' or that their request is 'rejected'.