# bugger off

idiom · Vulgar

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/bugger-off
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Go away.

## Examples

- He told the annoying man to bugger off.
- When the persistent salesperson wouldn't leave, she finally told him to bugger off.
- After the intruder refused to leave the property, the owner shouted for him to bugger off immediately.

## Origin

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”.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.