hack off
B2Informal, spoken; mildly vulgar in some contexts.
Definition
Meaning
To make someone very annoyed or angry.
To irritate or exasperate someone; to cause anger through repetitive, inconsiderate, or foolish actions.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a phrasal verb describing an emotional reaction. Implies a gradual build-up of irritation, often from persistent nuisance rather than a single major offence.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage and meaning are identical. 'Hack off' is more common in UK English, while in US English 'piss off' is a stronger, more frequent equivalent.
Connotations
Considered mildly coarse or slang in both varieties. Slightly more acceptable in everyday casual UK speech than in formal US contexts.
Frequency
Medium frequency in UK; low-to-medium in US where synonyms like 'tick off', 'annoy', or 'irritate' are often preferred in similar registers.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Someone/Something] hacks [someone] off.It hacks [someone] off that/to...Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “It's a real hack-off.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare; if used, it's in informal conversations (e.g., 'The new reporting system really hacks me off').
Academic
Virtually never used.
Everyday
Common in casual conversation among friends/family to express frustration.
Technical
Not applicable.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- His constant humming really hacks me off.
- It hacks her off when people are late.
American English
- That arrogant tone of his hacks everyone off.
- What hacks me off is the lack of communication.
adjective
British English
- I was completely hacked off with the poor service.
- She had a hacked-off expression on her face.
American English
- He was really hacked off about the cancelled flight.
- A hacked-off customer complained to the manager.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Loud music hacks off my neighbours.
- It hacks me off when it rains on the weekend.
- His habit of interrupting people really hacks me off.
- The government's indecision is beginning to hack off voters.
- What hacks me off most is the sheer hypocrisy of their stance.
- The committee's bureaucratic inertia has thoroughly hacked off the project team.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of someone annoyingly 'hacking' (chopping) away at your patience until it's completely 'off' (gone).
Conceptual Metaphor
ANGER IS A PHYSICAL FORCE THAT SEVERS/CUTS (hacks) CONNECTION (off).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation to 'рубить' (to chop). It's purely emotional. Use 'раздражать', 'бесить' (colloquial), 'выводить из себя'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it transitively without 'off' (e.g., 'It hacks me'). *Incorrect.*
- Using it for physical cutting (e.g., 'He hacked off the branch'). While grammatically possible, this is the literal verb 'hack' + particle 'off', not the phrasal verb meaning 'to annoy'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'hack off' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It's informal and mildly coarse, similar to 'annoy the hell out of someone'. Avoid in formal or polite company.
Yes, but that's the literal combination of 'hack' (cut roughly) + 'off'. The phrasal verb 'hack off' meaning 'to annoy' is distinct and fixed.
'Hacked-off' (hyphenated), meaning 'annoyed' or 'angry' (e.g., 'a hacked-off employee').
Yes. You can say 'That hacks me off' or 'That hacks off my parents'.