kill

be dressed to kill

to be wearing clothes which are intended to make people sexually attracted to you. Rosie emerged from the house, dressed to kill and clutching a bottle of champagne.

See also: dress

If looks could kill...

something that you say in order to describe the unpleasant or angry way in which someone looked at you. I'll never forget the expression on her face when she saw me with Pete. If looks could kill...

See also: could, look

kill or cure (British & Australian)

a way of solving a problem which will either fail completely or be very successful. Having a baby can be kill or cure for a troubled marriage.

See also: cure

kill the fatted calf

to celebrate in order to welcome a friend or relative that you have not seen for a long time. Annie's coming home, let's kill the fatted calf!

See also: fat

kill the goose that lays the golden egg

to destroy something that makes a lot of money. If you sell your shares now, you could be killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

See also: egg, golden, goose, lay, that

kill time

to do something which is not very useful or interesting while you are waiting for time to pass. We usually play guessing games to kill time at airports.

See also: time

kill two birds with one stone

to manage to do two things at the same time instead of just one, because it is convenient to do both. I killed two birds with one stone and saw some old friends while I was in Leeds visiting my parents.

See also: bird, stone, two

kill someone with kindness

to be too kind to someone. Rob's killing me with kindness - he phones me all the time to see if I'm alright when really I just need to be left alone.

See also: kindness

move in for the kill

to prepare to defeat someone completely in an argument or competition when they are already in a weak position. After two days of constant media coverage, journalists sensed the minister was weakening and they moved in for the kill. At 6-3 6-2 up, Sampras went in for the kill and won the final set 6-0.

See also: move

run out the clock (American & Australian, American)

to keep the ball away from the team competing against you at the end of a game so that they cannot score any points. The Pistons thought they were running out the clock but lost the ball and the game in the last nine seconds.

See also: clock, run

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dressed to kill

wearing clothes that are intended to make people notice you. The crowd was young, hip, and dressed to kill.

See also: dress

in for the kill

intending the complete destruction of someone or something. The president promised not to raise taxes, and now that they've been raised, his political enemies are moving in for the kill.

Usage notes: used with move, close, swoop, and other verbs meaning move

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of in for the kill (= involved in the death of an animal)

kill time

to do something while waiting. We were early for our appointment, so we killed time at a bookstore.

See also: time

kill two birds with one stone

to do two things at the same time using the effort needed to do only one. I killed two birds with one stone and saw some old friends while I was in Louisiana visiting my parents.

See also: bird, stone, two

kill someone with kindness

to get what you want by being very kind to another person. While most coaches can be very tough, ours kills his players with kindness.

See also: kindness