kiss-off

[kis-awf, -of]

noun

1. 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.

2. Billiards, Pool.,  kiss.

kiss off

verb

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

noun

1. a rude and abrupt dismissal

Word History and Origins

Origin of kiss off¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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

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

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

Example Sentences

There’s at least one on every Swift record: “Actually Romantic” is a kiss-off aimed at someone whose hatred for the singer is so intense that it starts to look like love.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Weiss publicly resigned from her role as an opinion columnist and editor at the New York Times five years ago with a blistering kiss-off.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Florence Pugh declared herself a fan, and ended up starring in the video for Never Need Me, a killer kiss-off to a boyfriend who left her dangling.

Read more on BBC

When she performed her scorching kiss-off number, “¿Qué Creías?” she’d invite an ogling male fan onstage, just to verbally dress him down with her verses.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A few months before the calendar flipped over, the London-based girl band made a huge splash with their debut single, Cardboard Box, a sassy kiss-off to a cheating ex that drew on the girl group sounds of En Vogue, SWV and Destiny's Child.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• destroy 
• discard 
• dump 
• eliminate 
• get rid of 
• relinquish 
• scrap 
• sell 
• unload