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The meaning and origin of the expression: Ticked off

Ticked off

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Ticked off'?

Chastised; 'told off', or in a separate US meaning, 'annoyed'. There's also the literal meaning of 'ticked off' - when ticks are placed against a list of items as they are noted.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Ticked off'?

The 'chastised' meaning is of UK military origin and dates from the early 20th century and is now rather outmoded. It is usually applied to a child or subordinate. the earliest known citation of it in print is in a 1915 letter which was later published in Wilfred Owen's Collected Letters:

"He has been 'ticked-off' four or five times for it; but is not yet shot at dawn."

The more recent American meaning of 'annoyed' is unrelated and dates from around the 1960s; for example, this piece from The Charleston Gazette, April 1969:

"The letter that really ticked me off was the one from the wife who said she felt like a prostitute."

Gary Martin - the author of the phrases.org.uk website.

By Gary Martin

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

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