Dictionary.com
definitions

kiss-off

[kis-awf, -of]
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR kiss-off ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Slang. an act or instance of dismissing a person or thing: The company is about to give you the kiss-off, so you'd better start looking for another job.
Billiards, Pool. kiss(def 12).

RELATED CONTENT

anime kiss
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
butterfly kisses
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

completion, expiry, ridicule, deride, reject, sell, relinquish, dump, unload, eliminate, destroy, discard, scrap, period, ending, cease, result, close, payoff, issue

Origin of kiss-off

First recorded in 1930–35; noun use of verb phrase kiss off

kiss

[kis]

verb (used with object)

to touch or press with the lips slightly pursed, and then often to part them and to emit a smacking sound, in an expression of affection, love, greeting, reverence, etc.: He kissed his son on the cheek.
to join lips with in this way: She kissed him and left.
to touch gently or lightly: The breeze kissed her face.
to put, bring, take, etc., by, or as if by, kissing: She kissed the baby's tears away.
Billiards, Pool. (of a ball) to make slight contact with or brush (another ball).

verb (used without object)

to join lips in respect, affection, love, passion, etc.: They kissed passionately.
to express a thought, feeling, etc., by a contact of the lips: They kissed goodbye at the station.
to purse and then part the lips, emitting a smacking sound, as in kissing someone.
Billiards, Pool. (of a ball) to carom gently off or touch another ball.

noun

an act or instance of kissing.
a slight touch or contact.
Billiards, Pool. the slight touch of one ball by another.
a baked confection of egg whites and confectioners' sugar, served as a cookie.
a piece of toffeelike confectionery, sometimes containing nuts, coconut, or the like.
a small, sometimes conical, bite-size piece of chocolate, usually individually wrapped.

Verb Phrases

kiss off, Slang.
  1. to reject, dismiss, or ignore: He kissed off their objections with a wave of his hand.
  2. (used to express contemptuous rejection or dismissal).
  3. to give up, renounce, or dispense with: Leaving Tulsa meant kissing off a promising job.

Origin of kiss

before 900; Middle English kissen to kiss, Old English cyssan (cognate with German küssen, Old Norse kyssa), derivative of Old English coss a kiss; cognate with Old Norse koss, German Küss
Related formsout·kiss, verb (used with object)un·kissed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for kiss off

kiss off

verb

(tr, adverb) to ignore or dismiss rudely and abruptly

noun kiss-off

a rude and abrupt dismissal

KISS

abbreviation for

keep it simple, stupid

kiss

verb

(tr) to touch with the lips or press the lips against as an expression of love, greeting, respect, etc
(intr) to join lips with another person in an act of love or desire
to touch (each other) lightlytheir hands kissed
billiards (of balls) to touch (each other) lightly while moving

noun

the act of kissing; a caress with the lipsRelated adjective: oscular
a light touch
a small light sweet or cake, such as one made chiefly of egg white and sugarcoffee kisses
See also kiss off
Derived Formskissable, adjective

Word Origin for kiss

Old English cyssan, from coss; compare Old High German kussen, Old Norse kyssa
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
Word Origin and History for kiss off

kiss

v.

Old English cyssan "to kiss," from Proto-Germanic *kussijanan (cf. Old Saxon kussian, Old Norse kyssa, Old Frisian kessa, Middle Dutch cussen, Dutch, Old High German kussen, German küssen, Norwegian and Danish kysse, Swedish kyssa), from *kuss-, probably ultimately imitative of the sound. Related: Kissed; kissing. For vowel evolution, see bury. There appears to be no common Indo-European root word for "kiss," though suggestions of a common ku- sound may be found in the Germanic root and Greek kynein "to kiss," Hittite kuwash-anzi "they kiss," Sanskrit cumbati "he kisses."

Kissing, as an expression of affection or love, is unknown among many races, and in the history of mankind seems to be a late substitute for the more primitive rubbing of noses, sniffing, and licking. [Buck, p.1113]

Some languages make a distinction between the kiss of affection and that of erotic love (cf. Latin saviari "erotic kiss," vs. osculum, literally "little mouth"). French embrasser "kiss," but literally "embrace," came about in 17c. when the older word baiser (from Latin basiare) acquired an obscene connotation. Insulting invitation kiss my ass is at least from 1705, but probably much older (cf. "The Miller's Tale").

kiss

n.

Old English coss; see kiss (v.). It became Middle English cuss, but this yielded to kiss, from the verb. Kiss of death in figurative sense "thing that signifies impending failure" is from 1944 (Billboard, Oct. 21), ultimately in reference to Judas's kiss in Gethsemane (Matt. xxvi:48-50). The kiss of peace was, in Old English, sibbecoss (for first element, see sibling).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with kiss off

kiss off

1

Dismiss or reject, as in He kissed off their offer. This usage alludes to kissing something goodbye [Slang; c. 1900]

2

Be forced to give up or regard as lost, as in You can kiss off that promotion. [Slang; late 1940s]

3

Get out, go away, as in She told the reporters to kiss off. [Slang; early 1990s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.