IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishgive someone the brush-off
Meaning: To be dismissed casually and almost cruelly.
Example: “I asked the famous author for an autograph, but she gave me the brush-off.”
Equivalents in other languages
Spanish: Dar calabazas Literally: To give someone pumpkins
Greek: Τρώω πόρτα Literally: To eat door
Origin: The image is of brushing lint or dust off one's clothes, a casual gesture of getting rid of something unwanted. The phrase is American slang from the 1930s.
More English idioms
- buy something for a song To buy something very cheaply.
- by hook or by crook By one way or another; by any means possible.
- go by the book Operate according to the rules.
- do something by the seat of one's pants To accomplish something by luck and instinct rather than skill.
- call someone on the carpet To confront or hold someone responsible for some misdeed.
- call someone's bluff To challenge someone to carry out a threat or prove the truth of a statement.
Explore another collection: Compliments & Insults
Compliments and insults from around the world, from the sweet to the savage.
- حمار (ḥimār) A stubborn fool — the donkey being the universal symbol of obstinacy in Arabic culture.
- Je bent een kanjer You're a star — a champ and a wonderful person.
- Золотые руки (Zolotye ruki) You're wonderfully skilled with your hands — a true master at making and fixing things.
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