hack off
B2 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To cut something off with a rough action, or (British) to make someone really annoyed.
Literal meaning: To hack (cut roughly) something so that it comes off.
Meanings
1 B1 neutral
To remove something by cutting it off in a rough or violent way.
"He hacked off the lower branches to clear the path through the forest."
Grammar: separable
2 B2
idiomatic
informal
(British informal) To annoy or irritate someone; to make someone feel fed up.
"It really hacks me off when people leave dirty dishes in the sink."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Has two distinct senses. The physical sense (rough cutting) is used in both British and American English. The 'annoy' sense is primarily British informal and is often used in the passive ('I'm hacked off').
Commonly used with
branch limb person situation decision colleague
Forms
Base
hack off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
hacks off
he/she/it
Past simple
hacked off
yesterday
Past participle
hacked off
have + pp
-ing form
hacking off
continuous
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