Is there a phrase that means treat someone dismissively

Question

A financial planner treated us in a dismissive fashion and I want to say that he "gave us the back of his hand" but that phrase doesn't seem to have the meaning of dismissive. Does it or is there a similar idiom?

Answer 1

I always liked the term "short shrift."

"The financial planner gave our proposal short shrift."

The OED gives the following definition:

orig. a brief space of time allowed for a criminal to make his confession before execution; hence, a brief respite; to give short shrift to , to make short work of.

The meaning of this seems to have broadened over time. Merriam Webster provides the following definition.

2a : little or no attention or consideration

2b : quick work —usually used in the phrase make short shrift of

Answer 2

A little imaginative, but what about: send packing

• to send someone away; to dismiss someone, possibly rudely
• To dismiss (someone) abruptly.

(TFD)

If you want to dismiss an individual peremptorily, it’s as simple as sending him or her packing.

Meaning:

Send away/dismiss someone in a shameful, or underhanded way.

(idiomation.com)

Answer 3

To be treated in a condescending or patronizing manner is, put plainly, to be “spoken down to.” Put more descriptively (and acerbically), it is to be spoken to "as if from a great height".

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patronize verb: gerund or present participle: patronizing

1. treat with an apparent kindness that betrays a feeling of superiority. "“She's a good-hearted girl,” he said in a patronizing voice"

synonyms: treat condescendingly, condescend to, look down on, talk down to, put down, treat like a child, treat with disdain; (Google)

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condescend verb: condescend; gerund or present participle: condescending: to show feelings of superiority; be patronizing. "take care not to condescend to your reader"

synonyms: patronize, talk down to, look down one's nose at, look down on, put down;

• do something in a haughty way, as though it is below one's dignity or level of importance. "we'll be waiting for twenty minutes before she condescends to appear";

synonyms: deign, stoop, descend, lower oneself, demean oneself; (Google)

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When someone addresses me in a dismissive manner I tend to feel disrespected and devalued. That manner of treatment is commonly referred to as condescension or patronization. The adjective dismissive, meaning to react to something in a way that shows you do not think it is worth paying attention to, carries the connotation of being “dismissed” or sent away, and only someone who is (or, presumes themselves to be) a “superior” possesses the capacity to dismiss someone else, who is then presumably, an underling or minion.

Answer 4

Various idiomatic phrases capture aspects of what you are talking about. For instance, dismissive of "giving you very little of his or her time" would be covered by the phrase "quick to show [us] the door." Christine Ammer, American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms (1997) has this entry:

show someone the door Order someone to leave, as in Thanks for coming; please excuse me for not showing you out, or Please show Mr. Smith the door. {Second half of 1700s}

The notion of dismissive treatment owing to the person's being too busy and important to be bothered with your petty concerns might be covered by the idiom "acted high and mighty [toward us]." Again, from Ammer:

high and mighty Conceited, haughty, as in She was too high and mighty to make her own bed. This expression originally alluded to high-born rulers and was being transferred to the merely arrogant by the mid-1600s.

Another way to say "got rid of us as quickly as possible" is "gave [us] the cold shoulder [or the brushoff]." Ammer:

cold shoulder Deliberate coldness or disregard, a slight or snub. For example, When I said hello to her in the library, she gave me the cold shoulder and walked away. ... {Early 1800s}

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give someone the brushoff ... Break off relations with someone, oust someone, snub or jilt someone, ... The [expression], from the first half of the 1900s, alludes to brushing away dust or lint. ...

The common theme in these phrases is the scarcely (or not at all) concealed attitude of dismissiveness toward the visitor and his or her concerns by the person who has been approached for (among other possibilities) advice or professional service.

Answer 5

He gave you the brush-off. Presumably with the back of his hand.