Don’t let the door hit you is a shortened rendering of an idiom with several variations. We will examine the meaning of the idiom don’t let the door hit you, some popular variations, and some examples of its idiomatic usage in sentences.
Don’t let the door hit you is a shorthand version of an idiom that means that someone is happy to see you go; that you are no longer welcome and that you should leave quickly. Don’t let the door hit you is another way of saying “good riddance.” There are several longer versions of the idiom, which include: 1.) Don’t let the door hit you on the way out; 2.) Don’t let the door hit you in the backside; and 3.) Don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord split you. We don’t know exactly where these phrases came from, but we do know that they skyrocketed in popularity over the last decade of the twentieth century. A good guess is that the terms came from popular culture, perhaps from television, books or movies.
Examples
New York politicians have mocked Donald Trump‘s reported decision to declare himself a resident of Florida, telling the president: “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” (The Independent)
I say Goodbye to both, don’t let the door hit you in the backside. (The Boston Herald)
To all the people who say they are moving to Canada because Donald Trump was elected, don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord split you. (The Chicago Tribune)
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