English Reference
Idiom idiom

bugger off

Vulgar

Go away.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

He told the annoying man to bugger off.

CONTEXTUAL

When the persistent salesperson wouldn't leave, she finally told him to bugger off.

COMPLEX

After the intruder refused to leave the property, the owner shouted for him to bugger off immediately.


Derived from bugger (idiomatic, obsolete, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) “sodomite”, (idiomatic, vulgar, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) “man”, especially in the colloquialism (idiomatic, dismissal, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) old bugger for “an old man”.


Related idioms1entry
  1. 01

    play silly buggers

    To act in a stupid or reckless manner.

Last updated August 10, 2026