give the elbow
(transitive, slang, British) To fire (an employee); to end a relationship with someone; to reject someone.
Definitions
(transitive, slang, British) To fire (an employee); to end a relationship with someone; to reject someone.
Comments
Used in
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "give the elbow".
🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "give the elbow" (G)
Browse all slang words starting with G.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- 87%
British slang meaning to be fired or dismissed from a job — the elbow here being the nudge that pushes you out the door. It's a slightly more colorful cousin of 'getting the boot' or 'getting the sack.' The phrase captures that unceremonious feeling of being shown the exit with minimal fanfare. It can also sometimes mean being rejected by a romantic partner, adding extra sting to an already unpleasant situation.
- 86%
(slang) To be dismissed from employment.
- 74%
(US, dated, early 20th-century, _, slang) A detective.
- 67%
(idiomatic, intransitive, chiefly, US) To associate closely; to consort, mingle or socialize.
- 67%
(idiomatic, British) To fire, expel or break up with someone.