brush-off
[ bruhsh-awf, -of ]
/ ˈbrʌʃˌɔf, -ˌɒf /
noun
a refusal to talk or listen to someone; abrupt or final dismissal or rebuff.
Origin of brush-off
1945–50,
Americanism; noun use of verb phrase
brush off
Words nearby brush-off
Definition for brush off (2 of 2)
Origin of brush
1SYNONYMS FOR brush
OTHER WORDS FROM brush
brush·a·ble, adjective brush·er, noun brush·like, adjective un·brush·a·ble, adjectiveBritish Dictionary definitions for brush off (1 of 3)
brush off
/ slang /
verb (tr, adverb)
to dismiss and ignore (a person), esp curtly
noun brushoff
an abrupt dismissal or rejection
British Dictionary definitions for brush off (2 of 3)
brush
1
/ (brʌʃ) /
noun
verb
Derived forms of brush
brusher, noun brushlike, adjectiveWord Origin for brush
C14: from Old French
broisse, perhaps from
broce
brush ²
British Dictionary definitions for brush off (3 of 3)
brush
2
/ (brʌʃ) /
noun
a thick growth of shrubs and small trees; scrub
land covered with scrub
broken or cut branches or twigs; brushwood
wooded sparsely populated country; backwoods
Word Origin for brush
C16 (dense undergrowth), C14 (cuttings of trees): from Old French
broce, from Vulgar Latin
bruscia (unattested) brushwood
Idioms and Phrases with brush off (1 of 2)
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).
Idioms and Phrases with brush off (2 of 2)
brush