a dusty answer
old-fashioned A curt, rude, or unhelpful answer or response. Primarily heard in UK. I got a dusty answer from the customer service agent when I asked if I could cancel my contract early. If you're hoping to get an extension on the assignment from the professor, you're likely to get a dusty answer. What a jerk! I asked a perfectly reasonable question about the warranty, so there was no need for him to give me a dusty answer.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
a dusty answer
or a dusty reply
BRITISH, OLD-FASHIONEDIf you ask for something or suggest something and you get a dusty answer or a dusty reply, you receive an unpleasant and negative answer. He asked three times to speak to the king, but each time received a dusty answer. Ask a world-class sportsman to spend several hours testing your product and you are likely to receive a dusty reply.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
a dusty answer
a curt and unhelpful reply. British The source of this expression is probably a passage in George Meredith's Modern Love ( 1862 ): ‘Ah, what a dusty answer gets the soul when hot for certainties in this our life!’
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
a dusty ˈanswer
(old-fashioned, British English) an unhelpful or a sharp response to a request or question: When I asked the company what their policy was on this matter, I received a very dusty answer.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017