off the face of the earth

off the face of the earth

1. Completely gone; vanished without a trace. Jen was the biggest social butterfly I knew, but then one day it seemed like she just dropped off the face of the earth.
2. Totally eradicated; destroyed with nothing remaining. I've vowed to wipe these terrorist scumbags off the face of the earth.
See also: earth, face, of, off
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • from the face of the earth
  • disappear off the face of the earth
  • disappear/vanish off the face of the earth
  • stay on top of
  • stay on top of (someone or something)
  • into thin air
  • keep on top of (someone or something)
  • nowhere to be found
  • nowhere to be found/seen
  • into the blue
References in classic literature
The office will have vanished off the face of the earth. I shall be arrested, I shall be tried, I shall be dismissed from the service, thrown in prison, sent to Siberia.
At this point they came in sight of thirty forty windmills that there are on plain, and as soon as Don Quixote saw them he said to his squire, "Fortune is arranging matters for us better than we could have shaped our desires ourselves, for look there, friend Sancho Panza, where thirty or more monstrous giants present themselves, all of whom I mean to engage in battle and slay, and with whose spoils we shall begin to make our fortunes; for this is righteous warfare, and it is God's good service to sweep so evil a breed from off the face of the earth."
We've a small army looking for the fellow, but it does seem as though he had disappeared off the face of the earth. If he doesn't turn up before the end of the Conference, we are done."
Mark were brought to Venice, the city could never rise to high distinction among the nations; that the body must be captured, brought to the city, and a magnificent church built over it; and that if ever the Venetians allowed the Saint to be removed from his new resting-place, in that day Venice would perish from off the face of the earth. The priest proclaimed his dream, and forthwith Venice set about procuring the corpse of St.
I say, sweep it off the face of the earth and begin afresh.
If I can put that aside, if I can eradicate the marks of what I have endured, and can emerge before the world--a--ha--gentleman unspoiled, unspotted --is it a great deal to expect--I say again, is it a great deal to expect-- that my children should--hum--do the same and sweep that accursed experience off the face of the earth?'
You were to have no capital punishment, but were first to sweep off the face of the earth all legislators, jurists, and judges, who were of the contrary opinion.
`Driven off the face of the earth.' Very well, I am off the face of the earth now.
"Well, it's up to you to say what you will do," said he; "for my part I have a score to settle with these monkey-folk, and if it ends by wiping them off the face of the earth I don't see that the earth need fret about it.
They left their horses, loaded and tied, and just disappeared off the face of the earth, leaving neither hide nor hair behind them.
This ridiculous and mischievous fable was swept off the face of the earth by the early Christians -- may their souls be happy in Heaven!
I have sometimes asked myself how it was that these communities were not utterly swept off the face of the earth, and how they could possibly survive.
Michael Martin 'disappeared off the face of the earth' three years ago.
The US leader made several surprising statements Monday alongside Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House, including that he had plans for a quick end to the Afghan conflict, but which would wipe the country "off the face of the Earth".
"I want there to be calm, but we are not under the illusion that we can reach a political agreement with Hamas who wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. We are preparing for a campaign that is not only broad but also surprising," Netanyahu said.