give someone the brush-off

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

give someone the brush-off (third-person singular simple present gives someone the brush-off, present participle giving someone the brush-off, simple past gave someone the brush-off, past participle given someone the brush-off)

1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To rebuff, snub or curtly reject someone.

   I asked three different clerks, and they all gave me the brush-off.

Synonyms

• give somebody the run-around
• give somebody the cold shoulder