
come off it!
Meaning: Stop pretending or exaggerating; I don't believe you.
Example: “"I could beat you in a race." "Oh, come off it!"”
Origin: A shortened form of the older "come off the grass!", itself a pointed play on the common park-sign warning "keep off the grass" — telling someone pompous or self-important to step down off whatever elevated ground, literal or figurative, they'd put themselves on. The shorter "come off it," dropping the grass entirely but keeping the same dismissive punch, is documented from the late 1800s, with the sense clearly related to a companion phrase like "get off your high horse" — both aimed at deflating someone's inflated self-regard in a single blunt line.
More English idioms
- come out of one's shell To stop being shy.
- come out smelling like a rose To avoid blame that one deserves; to seem innocent.
- cool one's heels To wait.
- cream of the crop The best.
- cross one's fingers To hope for luck.
- cry uncle To admit defeat.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- Tu as du chien You have a certain irresistible magnetism — a je-ne-sais-quoi that draws people in.
- Tu as la tête sur les épaules You're grounded, sensible, and dependable — not easily swept off course.
- Tu as le vent en poupe Everything is going your way — you're riding a wave of momentum and success.
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