English Reference
Idiom idiom

get up the yard


Get lost!

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


SIMPLE

You are bothering me, so get up the yard.

Tell that loud neighbor to get up the yard so we can sleep.

CONTEXTUAL

Stop asking me for money and just get up the yard.

When the salesman tried to charge me double for the repair, I told him to get up the yard and left the shop.

COMPLEX

After he insulted my family for the final time, I told him to get up the yard.


disputed origin

The phrase is attributed to the vernacular of Dublin, Ireland, with a popular though unproven origin dating to the 1960s. According to this account, the expression began as a literal command issued at St. Pius X National School in Templeogue.

In this local history, older pupils were appointed as wardens to manage the movements of the younger children. These wardens would reportedly shout at the children to get up the yard, directing them away from the road and back toward the school yard. The phrase is said to have migrated from the playground of the National School into wider Irish usage, though its transition from a literal instruction to a figurative dismissal remains a matter of regional lore.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    as it gets

    As it is possible to be.

  2. 02

    been there, done that, got the T-shirt

    Alternative form of been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.

  3. 03

    can't get enough

    Greatly enjoys; likes a lot.

  4. 04

    cat got someone's tongue

    Why is someone not saying anything?

  5. 05

    could not get elected dogcatcher

    Said of someone, particularly a politician, who is extremely unpopular.

  6. 06

    don't get someone started

    Used to attempt to avoid or abbreviate a discussion that speaker or hearer may wish to avoid.

  7. 07

    five will get you ten

    I strongly believe.

  8. 08

    get a charge out of

    To derive excitement, entertainment, or pleasure from.

Last updated August 10, 2026