a pox on

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English

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Etymology

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Originally an expression of abuse to wish that someone develop pocks, that is to say, contract pox. Though pox can range from smallpox to chickenpox to cowpox to syphilis, this expression almost always referred to the last one, the Great Pox.

Interjection

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a pox on

  1. (archaic, offensive) To express curses upon (somebody), when irked or wroth, as though wishing someone "a pox".
  2. (humorous, said alternatively with of) To hell with (abstract or unalive things).

Synonyms

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References

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  • a pox on*”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.