Phrasal verb
hack off
Definitions
01to annoy someone
phr.v. to make someone feel very annoyed or angry.
phr.v. to irritate or annoy someone significantly. This sense is primarily British and informal.
“It really hacks me off when people leave their rubbish on the train.”
“The constant delays and lack of communication from the airline really hacked off the passengers who had been waiting for hours.”
British English · Informal
Usage
The object (the person being annoyed) can be placed between 'hack' and 'off' or after the full phrase.
Teaching tip
This is a common British expression; it is less vulgar than 'piss off' but still quite informal and best avoided in professional writing.
02to cut off roughly
phr.v. to remove something by cutting it in a rough or violent way.
phr.v. to remove a part of something by hacking or using forceful, uneven strokes with a blade.
“He had to hack off the dead branches to save the rest of the tree.”
“The survivor managed to hack off a piece of the thick canvas to create a makeshift shelter against the storm.”
Usage
This is a transitive phrasal verb; the object can be placed between the verb and the particle.
Teaching tip
this is a milder, more polite alternative to 'piss off' in British English, making it useful for learners who want to sound informal but not vulgar.
Phrasal verb
Particles
off
Separability
optional
Pattern
hack + object + off
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/hack-off