"on yer bike" means: A British idiom meaning 'get lost', 'scram', or 'you're not welcome here' — said with varying degrees of heat depending on the situation. It.... This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
on yer bike
A British idiom meaning 'get lost', 'scram', or 'you're not welcome here' — said with varying degrees of heat depending on the situation.
ˈɑn ˈjɝ ˈbaɪkDocumented since 1980s1980sMillennialhistoricalCurrent54 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Etymology timeline
Born ~1981 · 1 year of recorded useGen X eraSee decade cohort →
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 28, 2026UK
A British idiom meaning 'get lost', 'scram', or 'you're not welcome here' — said with varying degrees of heat depending on the situation. It can be a jokey way to tell someone to stop bothering you or a genuinely hostile dismissal. The phrase got an extra layer of meaning in 1981 when politician Norman Tebbit referenced his unemployed father 'getting on his bike' to look for work, turning it into a loaded piece of British political shorthand about self-reliance.
When he tried to get back together after everything he'd done, she just said 'on yer bike, mate.'
Origin: British idiom, popularized in the 20th century; gained political resonance from Norman Tebbit's 1981 Conservative Party conference speech about unemployment and self-reliance. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora.
For parents
"on yer bike" means: A British idiom meaning 'get lost', 'scram', or 'you're not welcome here' — said with varying degrees of heat depending on the situation. It.... This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
"on yer bike" means: A British idiom meaning 'get lost', 'scram', or 'you're not welcome here' — said with varying degrees of heat depending on the situation. It.... Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (British) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally
Cluster: parent
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
(idiom, UK) go away! scram!.
Heard in the wild
“On yer bike. I have hope and we have real change in Labour, if only you lot would actually open your eyes. VOTE LABOUR PEEPS”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK
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🇬🇧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.
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Other words near "on yer bike" (O)
on theon the clubon the meritson the up-and-upon-tradeonyaon your bikeon your horse, amigoOnyxonzO.O.oo-er
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