Meaning & use
get off my case
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Used to tell someone to stop criticizing you or telling you what to do.
Grammar: Stands alone as a complete complaint; the possessive changes with the person: get off my/his/your case.
Patterns
- get off someone's case
- tell someone to get off your case
I said I'd fix it tomorrow, so get off my case!
Every time I'm five minutes late she calls me — I wish she'd get off my case.
He kept asking about my grades until I told him to get off my case.
phrasetransitive or intransitiveinformal
To stop bothering or pressuring a particular person about something.
Grammar: Used about a third person: get off his case means leave him alone; the object comes after off.
Patterns
- get off someone's case about something
- get off someone's case
If you get off his case for one evening, he might actually finish the report.
Her parents finally got off her case about choosing a major.
The coach won't get off my case until I improve my serve.
Common combinations
- get off someone's case about something
- My aunt needs to get off my case about getting married.
- tell someone to get off your case
- I finally told my brother to get off my case.
- wish someone would get off your case
- I wish the manager would get off my case about the timesheet.
- get off someone's back
- Just get off my back — I'm working as fast as I can.
- stop nagging someone
- Stop nagging me about the dishes; I'll do them later.
Synonyms and how they differ
- get off my back
- Almost the same meaning and tone, but it pictures someone leaning on you and is slightly more common in American speech.
- leave me alone
- Broader and less specific: it can mean stop talking to me at all, not only stop criticizing me.
- back off
- Tells someone to stop pressing you, but it does not mention criticism, so it fits arguments about space or pressure too.
Opposites
Word family
- case noun
- In this phrase, the matters or complaints someone keeps raising about you.
Commonly confused: get off my case or get off my chest? get off my case or get off scot-free?
get off my case vs get off my chest
This means to tell someone a worry so you feel better, not to ask them to stop criticizing you.
get off my case vs get off scot-free
This means to escape punishment, which has nothing to do with being criticized.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is fixed as get off + possessive + case, and it stands alone or takes about + topic. Option 1 adds a wrong extra object, option 2 changes the word order, and option 3 means the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “get off my case”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.