Do directives to "go jump in the lake" or "off a pier" allude to drowning?

Question

Some expressions of dismissal or insult such as "go jump in a lake"
or "take a long walk off a short pier" direct the recipient to fall into a body of water.

Is the figurative idea in such expressions that the person should remove themselves from the scene in a way that is merely picturesque and uncomfortable, or dangerous and potentially fatal?  In the first interpretation the meaning is something like get out of here now,   or be silent and stop annoying me, and in the second more like I hate you.

John · Answer

No, they are not used in a way that would suggest harm to the person to whom it is said. They hint at a frustration or impatience by the speaker that the person is deemed to have caused.

With regard to water, it would have more in common with telling someone to 'take a cold shower', to sober up (their thoughts). It's usually said to a person in response to something they have said, so harm or physical harm would be pretty innappropriate. The real message, is "get lost", "go away", and maybe also, gain a little humility by getting a little wet.

cliff900 · Answer

They are facetious remarks that would be said in annoyance. The person saying them doesn't literally want the other person to go and die.

Goldfly · Answer

It's a reference to the Lake of Fire in the book of Revelation.
As Death and Hell are both to be thrown in the lake of fire, saying "Go jump in the lake" is urging somebody to not bother with Hell, but to go straight to the Lake of Fire.

Do directives to "go jump in the lake" or "off a pier" allude to drowning?

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