Go to Jericho
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
A dismissive command to go away, get out of sight and leave the speaker alone. Dated euphemistic dismissal, roughly 'go away' or a softened 'go to hell.' It can sound theatrical rather than genuinely hostile today. Regional use: British English, formerly also North American.
Origin
Jericho has long functioned in English as a distant, inconvenient or disreputable destination. Seventeenth-century examples use it in dismissals, and later traditions connect the phrase with places nicknamed Jericho, including an Oxford quarter and a building associated with Henry VIII. These local stories may have reinforced the saying, but no single one securely accounts for it.
Research Sources
Usage Examples
- When the tout returned a third time, the porter told him to go to Jericho.
- You and your miracle tonic can go to Jericho, said the farmer.
- The editor sent the anonymous threat to Jericho and printed the report unchanged.