What it means
A blunt brush-off that means go away and leave me alone. It’s rude without tipping into full swear-mode, so people use it when they’re fed up, irritated, or just not having it. You’ll also hear it tossed at mates in a jokey way when someone’s taking the piss or hovering for too long.
Usage examples
"Oi, stop trying to nick my crisps and my last biscuit. Get lost, mate, I’m starving. Go grab your own from the shop."
"Told the cold caller to get lost and hung up before he finished the pitch."
"Get lost, the pair of you, I'm trying to watch the match in peace."
"He kept banging on about borrowing my car for the weekend, and I was like, get lost, mate, you still owe me petrol money from last time."
"Get lost, man, you ate your chips already. You’re not having half of mine an' all."
Where it comes from
Built from the old literal sense of get as move yourself somewhere and lost as gone from sight or out of the way. The phrase has been used in English for ages as a direct dismissal, telling someone to clear off rather than actually lose their way.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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