brush-off
a refusal to talk or listen to someone; abrupt or final dismissal or rebuff.
Origin of brush-off
1Words Nearby brush-off
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use brush-off in a sentence
Of course, when I sounded them out, they gave me a kindly brush-off: The matter was out of the their hands.
A Matter of Proportion | Anne WalkerFor any officer to brush-off a forthright request for aid or advice under such circumstances is an unofficerly act.
The Armed Forces Officer | U. S. Department of DefenseI finally gave Comrade Snyder the complete brush-off, and I must say he took it very nicely.
Sentiment, Inc. | Poul William Anderson
British Dictionary definitions for brush off
/ slang /
to dismiss and ignore (a person), esp curtly
an abrupt dismissal or rejection
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with brush-off
Dismiss or rebuff, as in Roberta brushed off the poor reviews with a shrug, or You can't brush off a boyfriend and expect him to do you a favor. This expression, transferring sweeping off crumbs to a curt dismissal, was first recorded about 1820. However, it became common usage only in the 1930s. Also see give someone the air (brush off).
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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