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brush-off
[ bruhsh-awf, -of ]
noun
- a refusal to talk or listen to someone; abrupt or final dismissal or rebuff.
brush off
verb
- to dismiss and ignore (a person), esp curtly
noun
- an abrupt dismissal or rejection
˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins
Origin of brush-off1
Idioms and Phrases
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) .Example Sentences
Vice President JD Vance set the stage for a potential brush-off of the judicial branch earlier this month, saying that the Trump admin may well ignore orders they don't agree with.
That gentle brush-off didn't keep Trump from congratulating the couple on Thursday after the birth of their youngest daughter.
"I was told that things would be looked into. It was very vague. It was a brush-off."
“You’re not on the list,†he was told twice by a Troubadour doorman, and given the brush-off.
Critics say the brush-off is a bad look for the leader of the free world and hurts U.S. diplomatic relations.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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