What it means
A firm little brush-off that means go away, stop bothering me, or don’t be so cheeky. Usually said when someone’s chatting rubbish or pushing their luck, and it can be half-jokey if you chuck in a grin. The phrase got a big boost in the 1980s after Norman Tebbit used it, but it’s long been knocking about in everyday talk.
Usage examples
"Kev rocks up begging for a lift and a tenner. I’m outside Greggs in the drizzle, like, on your bike, mate, behave."
"You want to borrow money again? On your bike!"
"When he started making excuses, she just told him to get on his bike."
Where it comes from
A brisk British brush-off built on the literal image of telling someone to get on their bike and clear off. It means go away, get lost, often with an edge of disbelief at a daft request. It famously doubled as a call to go out and look for work, but in everyday use it is simply a punchy way of sending someone packing.
Other ways to say it
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