Meanings
present singular third person refers someone to the reply given in Arkell v Pressdram · participle present referring someone to the reply given in Arkell v Pressdram · participle past referred someone to the reply given in Arkell v Pressdram · past referred someone to the reply given in Arkell v Pressdram · alternative refer someone to the reply given in Arkell v. Pressdram · alternative refer someone to the reply given in Arkell versus Pressdram · alternative refer someone to the reply given in Arkell vs Pressdram · alternative refer someone to the answer given in Arkell v Pressdram · alternative refer someone to the response given in Arkell v Pressdram
- UKeuphemistichumorousTo tell someone to fuck off.
I'd be tempted to refer them to the reply given in Arkell vs Pressdram.
2015 February 3, skipweasel, “Unhelpful councilfolk”, in uk.rec.sheds (Usenet)3 more examples
Go on then, fatso. May I first refer you to the reply given in Arkell vs Pressdram
2016 October 31, Mike Tomlinson, “My post was "discarded" - why?”, in uk.net.news.moderation (Usenet)Greg Tillis mentioned that he'd once tried to barter dessert privileges in exchange for her cooperation, and she referred him to the response in Arkell versus Pressdram.
2020 February 28, Elise Noble, Demented: A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novel, Undercover Publishing Limited, →ISBNOne can picture Kelly responding in the style of hard-bitten newspaper hacks of old: “see you in court”. Or perhaps even referring the caller to the reply given in Arkell v Pressdram.
2021 November 19, The Chatterer, “Downing Street wants you to know it’s not suing over PM marriage trouble claims…”, in New Statesman
Origin
Coined in 1971 from an incident in which Pressdram, publisher of Private Eye magazine, received a legal letter from a solicitor acting for a Mr Arkell. Pressdram's reply stated: We note that Mr Arkell's attitude to damages will be governed by the nature of our reply and would therefore be grateful if you would inform us what his attitude to damages would be, were he to learn that the nature of our reply is as follows: fuck off. The phrase is written as a pseudo-legal citation, as if Arkell v Pressdram were a real court case, although the proceedings never actually made it to court.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
refer someone to the reply given in Arkell v Pressdram. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/refer%20someone%20to%20the%20reply%20given%20in%20Arkell%20v%20Pressdram
“refer someone to the reply given in Arkell v Pressdram.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/refer%20someone%20to%20the%20reply%20given%20in%20Arkell%20v%20Pressdram. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “refer someone to the reply given in Arkell v Pressdram,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/refer%20someone%20to%20the%20reply%20given%20in%20Arkell%20v%20Pressdram.
Source: refer someone to the reply given in Arkell v Pressdram on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.