give

Slang Dictionary

give (so) definition


  1. tv.
    to give someone a telephone call. : Give me a buzz sometime.
  2. tv.
    to give someone a chuckle or a bit of enjoyment. : It always gives me a buzz to watch Sally do her act.
Slang Dictionary

give (so) definition


  1. tv.
    to scold someone. : Sally gave Sam an earful for the way he treated Mary.
  2. tv.
    to tell someone surprising secrets. : Willy gave Sally an earful about Todd's tax problems.

give (so) definition


  1. tv.
    to give someone a helping hand. : I gotta give this guy five with the crate. Be right with you.
  2. tv.
    to slap hands in greeting. (See also high five; Give me five!) : Jerry gave John five as they passed in the corridor.

give (so) definition


  1. tv.
    to bawl someone out; to scold someone severely. (Use caution with hell.) : The boss just gave me hell about it.
  2. tv.
    to trouble someone. (Use caution with hell.) : This problem is giving us hell at the office.

give (so) definition


  1. tv.
    to dismiss someone from employment. : I was afraid they would give me the ax.
  2. tv.
    to divorce someone. : She gave him the ax because he wouldn't stop smoking like he promised.

give (so) definition


  1. tv.
    to harass someone; to scold someone. : The guys have been giving me the business about my haircut.
  2. tv.
    to kill someone. (Underworld.) : Lefty wanted to give Rocko the business for being so damn perfect.

give (so) definition


  1. tv.
    to display the middle finger upright as a sign of derision. (The gesture is taboo.) : Somebody gave the cop the finger.
  2. tv.
    to mistreat someone; to insult someone. : You've been giving me the finger ever since I started working here. What's wrong?

give (so) definition


  1. tv.
    to signal someone by nodding. (Not slang.) : I gave Pete the nod, and he started the procedure.
  2. tv.
    to choose someone. (See also get the nod.) : The committee gave Frank the nod for the job.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

give

In addition to the idioms beginning with give, also see hard time (give someone a); Indian giver; never give a sucker an even break; not care (give) a rap; not give someone the time of day; what's cooking (gives). Also see under idioms beginning with get and have.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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