Piss Off Illustration One

Illustration of a face over black text

The word “piss” is likely imitative in origin, as the harsh “s” was akin to the sound of urinating, however the word became much more versatile, used in a variety of different expressions. Starting in the 1600s, expressions like “piss money against the wall” (squander), “piss on someone” (disdain), and “piss against the wind” (wasting one’s time) gained popularity. 

In the early 1800s, “pissed” came to mean “drunk.” In the early 1900s, “piss off” came to mean “leave” or “go away,” which is most likely how it is used here. Both of these are common in the United Kingdom. It was not until World War II that the most common usage in the United States emerged: “pissed off,” meaning “angry.”