to get fresh

10 8.5

Behave in a rude, overly familiar way toward someone, often trying to flirt

phrasal verb

Offensive

: ponerse fresco

Don't get fresh.
try to get fresh

Examples

Don't you get fresh with me.

Giant (1956)
- Don't get fresh.

The Desperate Hours (1955)
You guys stop getting fresh!

Bellflower (2011)
"You know you better not get fresh with that girl," she said firmly.

Fiction book (1993)
Don't be getting fresh with my girl!

Bellflower (2011)
Jimmy, are you trying to get fresh with me?
If you get fresh with my wife, you'll have to deal with me.
Was that serviceman getting fresh with you?

Synonyms

to flirt

vsto get fresh

253 3.1

Behave playfully or tease someone to show romantic interest

is more forward and disrespectful often presumptuous rather than simply playful

to get fresh with

vsto get fresh

Offensive

4 8.9

Behave in a rude or too friendly way toward someone that makes them uncomfortable

is the same idea but used without a following preposition

Antonyms

polite

336 1.0

Showing good manners and respect to other people

respectfully

104 2.3

In a polite way to someone

Surface Forms

get fresh infinitive

got fresh past

getting fresh present participle

gets fresh third person singular

gotten fresh past participle

Morphology

get + fresh

The core meaning is largely compositional: 'get' (become/act) plus 'fresh' (forward, rude) yields 'become or act rudely/forwardly', so a learner who knows both words can infer the general sense. However, the phrase is informal/slangy and carries pragmatic nuances (flirtatious or presumptuous behaviour) that may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Get fresh comes from an older use of fresh meaning 'bold' or 'rude'. Picture someone answering a teacher or parent with cheeky words — to get fresh is to start those forward, disrespectful remarks, so today it means 'to act disrespectfully' or 'to be forward'.