Go pound sand

This is sometimes used with the intention of meaning ‘go and beat/whack sand’ – with the back of a shovel or similar. That’s not the original meaning though, as is made clear from the longer and less-often used version of the phrase – ‘go pound sand up your ass’.

The phrase originated in the US and although common there, especially the midwest states, it is scarcely use anywhere else. I’ve never heard anyone say it in England, where I live.

The expression dates from the late 19th century. The earliest example of it that I can find in print is in The Minnesota newspaper The Saint Paul Globe, August 1886:

I have always umpired base ball from the grand stand… Nothing affords me more pleasure now than to sit on a hard board in the grand stand and devote my time yelling, “Kill him!” “Cut his feet off.” “Aw, go pound sand” and other rhetorical gems at the umpire.

A celebrated use of the expression is from the speech that farmer Max Yasgur used it when arguing with local dignitaries over his bringing the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival to his farm in Bethal, New York, saying:

“Well, you can all go pound salt up your ass, because come Aug. 15, we’re going to have a festival!”

There’s also a less vulgar version, ‘go pound sand in your ears’.

Here’s an entry from the Southeast Economist, Chicago, 1948:

“From her store of memories Mrs. Mary R. Stuart of Harvard Ave, perpetrator of this column of sayings of wisecracks popular in the ‘Oh yeah?’ era, recalls that ‘go pound sand in your ears’ meant to soft-pedal the noise.”

Other “go’ phrases:

Go and boil your head

Go berserk

Go by the board

Go by the book

Go Dolally

Go-faster

Go for a burton

Go haywire

Go like the clappers

Go off half-cocked

Go out on a limb

Go postal

Go over like a lead balloon

Go the whole hog

Go to hell in a handbasket

Go to pot

Go to the dogs

Go to the foot of our stairs

Go to the mattresses