give somebody the elbow

give (someone) the elbow

1. To spurn, jilt, or reject someone, especially a lover or romantic interest. Jonathan has had a broken heart ever since David gave him the elbow. A: "Did you hear that Liz gave Dan the elbow?" B: "Wow, I never expected those two to break up." Molly and I have been fighting so much that I have to give her the elbow at this point.

2. To summarily dismiss or oust someone from employment; to fire someone. Management promptly gave the new accountant the elbow after his miscalculation cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars. They'll give me the elbow if they ever find out I came into work drunk yesterday. The boss will give me the elbow if he finds out that printing error was my fault.

See also: elbow, give

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

give somebody the ˈelbow

(British English, informal) tell somebody that you no longer want to have a relationship with them: I hear she’s finally given her boyfriend the elbow.

See also: elbow, give, somebody

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017