put out to pasture

put someone out to pasture

Fig. to retire someone. (Based on put a horse out to pasture.) Please don't put me out to pasture. I have lots of good years left. This vice president has reached retirement age. It's time to put him out to pasture.

See also: out, pasture, put

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put somebody out to pasture

to make someone stop working at their job because they are too old to be useful He felt he was still too young to be put out to pasture.

See also: out, pasture, put

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put somebody out to pasture

to make someone stop working at their job because they are too old to be useful At 62, he felt he was not ready to be put out to pasture.

Etymology: based on the tradition of keeping farm animals that are too old to work in a pasture (land covered with grass)

See also: out, pasture, put