Definition of: "get out of dodge" with explanation and origin
Definition of: get out of dodge with explanation and origin? Meaning of get out of dodge with examples in English idiom dictionary.
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Definition of: "get out of dodge" with explanation and origin
get out of dodge
get out of dodge,
also, get the hell out of dodge
Meaning
- to leave.
- to depart from a place with urgency.
- escape from a possibly dangerous or difficult environment with all possible haste.
- to vacate the town in a hurry.
Example Sentences
- When I saw the big dog stalking toward me, growling and slobbering, I knew it was time to get out of dodge.
- Work had been slow for months, and they had been sending everyone home early, so Kate thought it might be time to get out of Dodge and find a new job.
- The bouncer at the club eyed the two men menacingly, telling them to get out of Dodge or suffer the consequences.
- The boy whispered to his friend, “Do you think they saw us shoplifting?”, and his friend responded, “No, but we better get the hellout of Dodge before we get caught.”
- The school bully told me if I didn’t get-out-of-dodge, he was going to beat me up and take my lunch money.
Origin
In the late 19th century, Dodge City, Kansas, was a bustling cattle town. Known as “a wicked little town” due to its proximity to the wild frontier, it was a popular watering hole for cowboys and buffalo hunters looking for rest and relaxation. Often, these pastimes were rowdy and dangerous, taking place in saloons, brothels, and gambling dens, with occasional shootouts. Law and order was famously maintained by lawmen Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson, as well as their brothers. By the early 1900s, settlers had moved in, and Dodge City had become much more respectable.
In the 1950s, the reputation of Dodge City was further enhanced to its legendary status (often portrayed in cliched cowboy and western films) when a radio series called Gunsmoke went on the air. The setting was Dodge City in the 1890s, and it ran from 1952 to 1961. When it made the transition to television, it ran until 1975, totaling 20 seasons, and maintained excellent ratings throughout its run. The serial was centred around a fictional lawman named Marshall Dillon, who was known for exhorting lawbreakers to leave town, or get out of Dodge. This is the most likely and inspired source of the idiom “getting out of Dodge.”
The Origins of get out of dodge
American, DangerEnglish
Related Dictionary
- English Definition & Meaning Dictionary
- English Idioms and phrases Dictionary
- Dictionnaire Français
- Dictionnaire d'expressions idiomatiques et de phrases en français
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English Idioms and phrases
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below). By another definition, an idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.[3] For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context.
To evoke the desired effect in the listener, idioms require a precise replication of the phrase: not even articles can be used interchangeably (e.g. "kick a bucket" only retains the literal meaning of the phrase but not the idiomatic meaning).
Idioms should not be confused with other figures of speech such as metaphors, which evoke an image by use of implicit comparisons (e.g., "the man of steel"); similes, which evoke an image by use of explicit comparisons (e.g., "faster than a speeding bullet"); or hyperbole, which exaggerates an image beyond truthfulness (e.g., "more powerful than a locomotive"). Idioms are also not to be confused with proverbs, which are simple sayings that express a truth based on common sense or practical experience.
