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My grandfather is from Ireland, and he frequently used this phrase.

I understood it to be an insult, to mean basically "screw you"

I love the phrasing, but have no idea where it comes from. Is anyone else aware of this phrase and knows where it comes from? Or is this a unique saying from my grandfather?

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  • Never heard it before. But you can follow “Go” with almost anything in the right tone of voice to mean “go screw yourself” – Jim Dec 29 '19 at 5:34
  • Interesting phrase. Does it mean self-sabotaging? – Jalene Dec 29 '19 at 7:22
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A google search for the phrase "go scrape mould" (using quotation marks, and with the British spelling) returns zero results.

This tells me that it is very unlikely to be a common phrase.

Also, it sounds strange. I would expect something like "go scrape mould off yourself" instead. Usually, we scrape off, not on.

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  • Lexico gives definition 3 of mould as "soft loose earth" and it has been used to refer to the earth in churchyards and cemeteries. I wonder if "go scrape mould on yourself" meant "go and bury yourself". Otherwise expressed as "go away and don't bother me again" or "crawl away and die". – BoldBen Mar 9 '20 at 8:12

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