take a long walk on a short pier
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From the fact that if one walks longer than the walkway, one will find oneself falling into the body of water.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb edit
take a long walk on a short pier (third-person singular simple present takes a long walk on a short pier, present participle taking a long walk on a short pier, simple past took a long walk on a short pier, past participle taken a long walk on a short pier)
- (idiomatic, derogatory, colloquial) Used to tell someone to go away, or that their request will not be met.
- 1952, Hospitals: the journal of the American Hospital Association, volume 26, page 40:
- Well, it was a busy day and I was really cut down to size — in fact, once I was told to take a long walk on a short pier.
- 2001, Tad Crawford, The Money Mentor: A Tale of Finding Financial Freedom, page 183:
- She smiled, but she wasn't the same Tina who had told her banker dad to take a long walk on a short pier.
Synonyms edit
- get lost, go jump in the lake, beat it, push off, go away, fuck off, take a hike, piss off, bugger off, clear off, away with you, on with you, forget you, vamoose
- See also Thesaurus:go away