Idiom
tell someone where to shove it
Meaning
To express extreme anger, disgust, or hatred toward someone.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He was so rude that I wanted to tell him where to shove it.”
“You should tell that rude customer where to shove it.”
“I am tired of his lies and want to tell him where to shove it.”
“After my boss insulted my hard work for the third time today, I almost told him exactly where to shove it.”
“When the landlord tried to raise the rent for the third time this year, the tenant finally told him where to shove it and moved out.”
“If they keep asking you to work for free, you have every right to tell them where to shove it.”
“When the car salesman offered me a tiny amount for my trade-in, I told him where to shove it and walked right out of the dealership.”
“Faced with the manager's arrogant demands and complete lack of respect, she finally reached her limit and told him where to shove it.”
Examples
simple
“He was so rude that I wanted to tell him where to shove it.”
“You should tell that rude customer where to shove it.”
“I am tired of his lies and want to tell him where to shove it.”
contextual
“After my boss insulted my hard work for the third time today, I almost told him exactly where to shove it.”
“When the landlord tried to raise the rent for the third time this year, the tenant finally told him where to shove it and moved out.”
“If they keep asking you to work for free, you have every right to tell them where to shove it.”
“When the car salesman offered me a tiny amount for my trade-in, I told him where to shove it and walked right out of the dealership.”
complex
“Faced with the manager's arrogant demands and complete lack of respect, she finally reached her limit and told him where to shove it.”
Origin
The phrase entered usage as a euphemistic allusion to the imperative to shove it up your ass. The concluding pronoun acts as a placeholder for the anatomical destination, allowing for the expression of profound dismissal while nominally observing the requirements of public decorum.
Key words
Related idioms
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