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Glite Dictionary
take a long walk on a short pier

take a long walk on a short pier

1 9.9
To tell someone to go away in a rude, angry way
  • idiom
  • Offensive
: vete a la mierda
  • When he wouldn't stop bothering me, I told him to take a long walk on a short pier.

Examples

  • Tired of the criticism, she snapped and told the reporter to take a long walk on a short pier.

  • When he kept nagging her, she waved him off and said, 'Just take a long walk on a short pier already!'

  • If my neighbor complains again, I'll just say, 'Why don't you take a long walk on a short pier?'

  • Just take a long walk on a short pier!

  • Why don't you just take a long walk on a short pier?

  • After hearing the same complaint for the third time, I finally said, 'Why don't you take a long walk on a short pier?'

  • Frustrated with his constant interruptions, she told him to take a long walk on a short pier in a sarcastic tone.

Synonyms

to take a hike
vstake a long walk on a short pier
  • Informal
36 8.1

Tell someone to leave in a rude way

expresses the same dismissal but with sarcastic tone instead
to shove off
vstake a long walk on a short pier
  • Informal
17 7.7

Leave a place quickly, often in a rude way

focuses on sarcastic telling to go away rather than abrupt departure
to bugger off
vstake a long walk on a short pier
  • Offensive
12 9.9

Tell someone to go away immediately in a rude way

is similar but leans more on sarcastic dismissal than urgency
to get bent
vstake a long walk on a short pier
  • Offensive
4 9.9

Tell someone to leave in a rude, angry way

relies on ironic sarcasm instead of direct verbal insult
to pound sand
vstake a long walk on a short pier
  • Offensive
2 9.9

Tell someone to go away in a rude way

is aimed at sarcastic dismissal rather than merely rejecting a request
to get stuffed
vstake a long walk on a short pier
  • Offensive
2 9.9

Tell someone rudely to go away or leave you alone

aims at sarcasm and annoyance rather than plain angry rejection
to take a flying leap
vstake a long walk on a short pier
  • Offensive
1 9.5

To tell someone rudely to leave

uses sarcasm to dismiss rather than blunt, direct rejection
go jump in the lake
vstake a long walk on a short pier
  • Offensive
1 9.1

Rudely tell someone to go away and stop bothering you

uses sarcasm to dismiss with annoyance rather than playful imagery
to go to blazes
vstake a long walk on a short pier
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Angrily tell someone to go away

is said with sarcasm rather than direct angry contempt
to shove along
vstake a long walk on a short pier
  • Informal
1 8.1

To leave a place quickly, often in a rude way

uses sarcasm and annoyance rather than only rude command to move
to go climb a tree
vstake a long walk on a short pier
  • Informal
9.8

To tell someone to go away and stop annoying you

is more sharply sarcastic and less simply joking dismissal

Antonyms

to stay
∞ 1.0

To remain in one place and not leave

How Dismissive

take a long walk on a short pier
  • Offensive
1 9.9
to show someone the door
  • Informal
14 6.4
to insult
  • Offensive
420 2.1

Surface Forms

take a long walk on a short pier main

Morphology

take + a + long + walk + on + a + short + pier

Although the phrase's constituents literally describe taking a walk on a short pier, the idiomatic use is a sarcastic dismissal meaning 'go away' (with an implied insult or harm). This pragmatic, culture-specific sarcastic force is not predictable from the literal words, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would likely not infer the intended dismissive meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

The idiom take a long walk on a short pier creates a strong image: imagine someone taking a long walk on a short pier and then falling into the water. One popular use of this rude, sarcastic picture is to tell a person to 'go away' or 'leave' with clear annoyance.