outta
Also found in: Dictionary.
get (the hell) out of Dodge
To leave or depart from a place, especially quickly or with marked urgency. A reference to Dodge City, Kansas, the clichéd setting of cowboy and western films from the early to mid-1900s. It looks like things are getting pretty tense in here, let's get out of Dodge! With our creditors becoming increasingly aggressive, we decided to just get the hell out of Dodge and leave it all behind. Buck, the police are getting closer. We need to get the hell out of Dodge before they discover our hideout!
get outta (something)
1. Literally, to exit something or some place. (In all of these usages, "outta" is a colloquial contraction of "out of.") Please don't get outta the car until I've brought it to a complete stop. You really need to get outta the house more often! This concert is so lame. Can we get outta here?
2. To move off some path, road, course, etc. We'd better get outta the road, there's an ambulance screaming toward us. Hey, Mike! Get outta the way, would ya? I'm trying to move these crates! If these geese don't get outta the street, they're liable to be hit by a car!
3. To leave or depart from a particular place. I think we'd better get outta here—things are starting to look a little bit rough! I'd like to get outta town for a while. Is that the security alarm? We better get outta here!
4. To contrive to evade, avoid, or withdraw from some obligation. Don't think you can get outta your chores that easily! I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get outta that financial results meeting next week. How can I get outta babysitting my sister's kids this weekend?
5. To no longer be in some state or condition. The party started getting outta hand, so I had to send everyone home. It sounds like your car's engine has gotten a bit outta kilter. You've got to make sure you don't let things get outta order around the office while I'm away.
get outta here
1. interjection An exclamation of surprise, disbelief, or incredulity. (Colloquial contraction of "get out of here.") Sally's brother is dating my cousin? Get outta here! You just won the lottery? Get outta here! Wait, we're really going to Disney World? Get outta here!
2. verb To leave or depart from a specific place. Also used as a command to do so. (Colloquial contraction of "get out of here.") I think we'd better get outta here, things are starting to look a little bit rough. Get outta here, you hooligans! Is that the security alarm? We better get outta here!
I'm out of here
slang I'm leaving. "Out of" is commonly shortened colloquially as "outta." I don't have to listen to this criticism—I'm outta here! OK, well, the train comes in five minutes, so I'm out of here. I'm outta here—see you guys tomorrow!
it's outta here
In baseball, said when a batter hits the ball beyond the outfield fence (a home run). It's outta here! A three-run shot for Smith in the bottom of the eighth!
like a bat out of hell
Very quickly or abruptly. His tires squealed as he drove out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.
not a peep from/out of (someone)
Not a single word or sound from someone. Amy: "Hi Samantha, thank you for watching the kids for us. How were they?" Samantha: "They were great. I put them to bed at 8, and there hasn't been a peep out of them since!" There wasn't a peep from the students for the rest of the class after I sent Jonathan to detention.
out of sight is out of mind
That which cannot be seen or noticed will soon be forgotten or ceases to be a problem. The boss hasn't been down to the warehouse in months, so he has no idea that there are so many issues in here. Out of sight is out of mind, I suppose. Just sweep everything under the sofa—out of sight is out of mind.
out of sight, out of mind
That which cannot be seen or is not noticeable will be forgotten. The boss hasn't been down to the warehouse in months, so he has no idea that there are so many issues in here. Out of sight, out of mind, I suppose. Just sweep everything under the sofa—out of sight, out of mind.
outta
colloquial A shortening of "out of" into a single word. I think we'd better get outta here, things are starting to look a little bit rough. That's it, I'm not waiting any longer—I'm outta here!
take off like a bat out of hell
To depart or flee extremely quickly or abruptly. "Out of" is sometimes contracted colloquially as "outta." He slammed on the gas, his tires squealing as he took off like a bat outta hell. The school bell rang for the last time before summer break, and all the students took off like bats out of hell.
the arse is gone right out of her
Said of some situation or set of circumstances that are completely out of control or have gone totally wrong. "The" and "her" are often spelled colloquially as "da" and "'er," respectively. Primarily heard in Newfoundland, Canada. We were all flying high when the economy was booming a few years back, but the arse is gone right out of 'er now!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
I'm out of here.
and I'm outa here.Inf. I am leaving this minute. In three minutes I'm outa here. I'm out of here. Bye.
like a bat out of hell
Inf. very fast or sudden. (Use caution with hell.) The cat took off like a bat out of hell. The car pulled away from the curb like a bat out of hell.
out of sight, out of mind
Prov. If you do not see someone or something frequently, you will forget about it. (Sometimes used to imply that you will forget about people who have moved away.) Ever since I moved, none of my old friends have gotten in touch with me. It's out of sight, out of mind with them, evidently. My electric bill somehow got moved to the bottom of the stack on my desk, and I forgot all about paying it. out of sight, out of mind.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
like a bat out of hell
Moving extremely fast, as in She ran down the street like a bat out of hell. This expression presumably alludes to the rapid darting movement of bats and, Charles Earle Funk theorized, their avoidance of such light as might be cast by the fires of hell. [c. 1900] For a synonym, see like greased lightning.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
like a bat out of hell
INFORMALIf you go somewhere like a bat out of hell, you go there very quickly. She tore across the highway like a bat out of hell. I nearly ploughed right into her. Note: In this expression, `bat' is used to refer to a small, flying mammal. Bats are often associated with the devil, probably because they usually fly at night.
out of sight, out of mind
If you say out of sight, out of mind, you mean that it is easy to forget about someone or something when you have not seen them for a long time. Then I went away for six months and he lost interest. Out of sight, out of mind. We just take for granted the fact that once we've used something up we put it in that bin and away it goes — out of sight, out of mind. Note: People often vary this expression. Absent employees may miss out on promotion prospects too — out of sight may well mean out of mind.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
like a bat out of hell
very fast and wildly. informal 1995 Patrick McCabe The Dead School Like a bat out of hell that Joe Buck gets on out of the apartment and doesn't stop running till he reaches Times Square.
out of sight, out of mind
you soon forget people or things that are no longer visible or present. proverbFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
like a ˌbat out of ˈhell
(informal) very fast: If there were a fire, I wouldn’t try to save any possessions. I’d be off like a bat out of hell!ˌout of ˈsight, ˌout of ˈmind
(saying) used to say that somebody will quickly be forgotten when they are no longer with you OPPOSITE: absence makes the heart grow fonderFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
I’m out of here
and I’m outa here and I’m outie sent. I am leaving this minute. In three minutes I’m outa here.
like a bat out of hell
mod. very fast or sudden. (Use caution with hell.) The cat took off like a bat out of hell.
out of sight, out of mind
and OOSOOM phr. & comp. abb. I don’t pay attention to what I can’t see. I completely forgot about it. OOSOOM!
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
like a bat out of hell
Moving very fast indeed. This expression arose in the Air Force during World War I, originally likening the flight of fighter planes to that of the only surviving flying mammal. It soon was extended to any fast movement. A synonym with a similar combative origin is like a shot, dating from the late 1800s and alluding to the rapidity of a gunshot.
out of sight, out of mind
What is absent is soon forgotten. This phrase has been proverbial since Homer’s time. The Greek poet had it in the Odyssey (ca. 50 b.c.), and the earliest English appearance is in a 1501 translation of Thomas à Kempis’s The Imitation of Christ. For the opposite sentiment, see absence makes the heart grow fonder. Out of sight, a twentieth-century slangy expression meaning “Wonderful!” or “Beyond belief!” may become a cliché.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer