browned off
Preserved but no longer current.
This is a slang phrase that came into general use during World War II, meaning "fed up," bored or disillusioned. Various derivations of the phrase have been suggested, but none of them appears satis- factory.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “browned off” mean?
This is a slang phrase that came into general use during World War II, meaning "fed up," bored or disillusioned. Various derivations of the phrase have been suggested, but none of them appears satis- factory.
Is “browned off” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.