knock it off
phr. v.. B1 Intermediate Oxford
phr. v.. to tell someone to stop doing something annoying or wrong.
phr. v.. imperative phrasal verb used to demand an immediate cessation of an irritating or inappropriate action; informal register.
Knock it off! You're being too loud.
The teacher told the boys to knock it off when they kept tapping their pens.
After enduring twenty minutes of heckling, the speaker finally snapped, 'Knock it off and let me finish!'
- Particles
- it off
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- knock + it + off
Usage
used only in the imperative; object 'it' is fixed and never replaced.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'stop it' (neutral) and 'cut it out' (same tone); 'knock it off' carries mild irritation.
Pitfall
He knocked it off during the meeting.Knock it off during the meeting!the phrase is imperative only; it does not conjugate for past or third-person.