German · Romance & Rejection
jemanden abblitzen lassen
YAY-mand-en AP-blit-sen LAH-sen · /ˈjeː.man.dn̩ ˈap.blɪt.sn̩ ˈla.sn̩/
To blow someone off / shoot them down cold
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"To let someone flash off"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Sharper and more decisive than "einen Korb geben" — the "Blitz" (flash/lightning) makes it a swift, sparks-off dismissal. Works for romance and for any curt brush-off ("beim Chef abblitzen"). Clean vocabulary, cutting sentiment.
Heard in the wild
Er hat's versucht, aber sie hat ihn eiskalt abblitzen lassen.
He tried it on, but she shot him down stone cold.
Where it lands
Germany, Austria — universal
Quick answers
- What does "jemanden abblitzen lassen" mean?
- In German, "jemanden abblitzen lassen" means "To blow someone off / shoot them down cold". Literally it's "To let someone flash off". Sharper and more decisive than "einen Korb geben" — the "Blitz" (flash/lightning) makes it a swift, sparks-off dismissal. Works for romance and for any curt brush-off ("beim Chef abblitzen"). Clean vocabulary, cutting sentiment.
- Is "jemanden abblitzen lassen" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "jemanden abblitzen lassen"?
- Say it "YAY-mand-en AP-blit-sen LAH-sen" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈjeː.man.dn̩ ˈap.blɪt.sn̩ ˈla.sn̩.
Related in German
einen Korb geben INE-en KORP GAY-ben To turn someone down / reject an advance fremdgehen FREMT-gay-en To cheat / to have an affair baggern BAH-gern To hit on someone / chat someone up (persistently) Mach mich nicht an! MAKH mikh nikht AHN Don't hit on me! / Don't start with me! Quatsch! KVATCH Nonsense! / Rubbish! / No way! Arsch ARSH Arse / ass — and the second great compound-engine of German
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Shot down".
- French Se prendre un râteau To get shot down / rejected (romantically)
- Japanese 振られた Got dumped / got rejected / she shot me down
- Korean 관심 없어 Not interested — the flat, load-bearing brush-off.
- Polish spadaj Get lost / buzz off — the medium-firm brush-off.
- Korean 어장관리 Keeping admirers on the line like stocked fish — breadcrumbing, Korean-style.
- Polish odwal się Back off / leave me alone — the serious brush-off.
- Korean 나쁜 놈 You bad man / that jerk — the K-drama accusation, tears optional.
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