{"id":4079,"date":"2022-06-06T00:01:37","date_gmt":"2022-06-06T00:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=4079"},"modified":"2022-06-06T00:01:37","modified_gmt":"2022-06-06T00:01:37","slug":"kick-rocks-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/kick-rocks-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Kick Rocks \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a way to tell someone to stop talking and get out of your sight? You could tell them to go \u201ckick rocks<\/em>\u201d and bother someone else. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201ckick rocks<\/em>\u201d is an insult directed at someone else. The person could be trying to get your attention on something you find pointless, or they could be trying to scam you and waste your time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By telling them to \u201ckick rocks<\/em>,\u201d you say they should rather waste their time than yours by doing a useless activity.<\/p>\n

The phrase can have sarcastic use and a connotation of contempt, depending on the scenario and the speaker's use of time in their response.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care what you want me to do. You can go kick rocks for all I care. I\u2019m leaving in twenty minutes, and I don\u2019t have the time for that right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care if you want me to do that. It\u2019s outside of my job description, and you can go kick rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo kick rocks. Do you think I\u2019m stupid enough to fall for that? You must think I\u2019m some type of idiot that\u2019s just going to hand over my cash.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can go kick rocks. That\u2019s the craziest thing I\u2019ve ever heard, and if you do that, someone\u2019s going to get hurt, guaranteed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKicks rocks, you can\u2019t tell me what to do, and you\u2019re not the boss of me. If I say no, it means no, and you can do nothing about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, kid, go kick rocks or something. We don\u2019t have time to listen to your spiel right now. We\u2019re waiting on something important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just tell them to go kick rocks. We can\u2019t afford to waste our money on these silly purchases right now. I mean, who\u2019s buying a timeshare in this economy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

Language experts are unsure when the term \"kick rocks\" entered English. The term has disputed origins. Some think it comes from the times of the \"Great Depression,\" when impoverished children would kick rocks around to pass the time. It's a similar expression to \"kick the can down the road,\" which was also a popular kids' game at the time.<\/p>\n

However, there is no evidence of the phrase's origin coining from this era. There are no written records of the saying appearing before 2000. However, experts are certain it was in use well before 2000.<\/p>\n

Other experts believe it has origins in the US penitentiary system. The term \"kick rocks\" refers to being by yourself and comfortable with being alone when you're in jail.<\/p>\n