off the back of a lorry

off the back of a lorry

Likely by illegal or dubious means. Said of the way something has been gotten. The American equivalent is "off the back of a truck." Primarily heard in UK. A: "Jake's been peddling a bunch of flat screens for a great price." A: "He probably got them off the back of a lorry. I wouldn't go for them, if I were you." Danny says he has several laptops and smartphones he wants to sell for cheap—sounds like they fell off the back of a lorry to me.

See also: back, lorry, of, off

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

off the ˌback of a ˈlorry

(British English, informal, humorous) goods that fell off the back of a lorry were probably stolen. People say or accept that they came ‘off the back of a lorry’ to avoid saying or asking where they really came from: Where did you get a new DVD player at a price like that? Off the back of a lorry?

See also: back, lorry, of, off

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