Definition
A direct, somewhat impolite demand to ask someone to move out of the way.
Origins
Probably short for "move to one side", that is to one side of a passageway.
In Context
- "[…] sign hung from the bronze knob, and it stated without equivocation that the Britannic Museum was "closed for repairs." But the Inspector was made of stern stuff. He closed his right hand and with the resulting fist pounded formidably on the bronze. […] out popped the gargoylish head of a bulb-nosed old man. "Hey!" snapped this apparition. "Can't you read English?" "One side, brother," said the Inspector cheerfully. "We're in a hurry." The doorman did not budge […]"
- "“This is no time for sympathy,” I said. “Now one side or flipper off — I gotta go to work.”"
- ""I'm late now, Fatty. C'mon. One side," Zooey said. A Philadelphia highboy had been moved out into the hall, and, together with Mrs. Glass's person, it blocked Zooey's passage."