do a job on someone/something

do a job on (someone or something)

1. To have a harmful impact on someone or something. Considering her pessimism toward marriage, her last break-up must have really done a job on her. Ugh, your puppy did a job on my new shoes—they're completely chewed up! I guess I really did a job on my computer because IT couldn't even fix it.
2. Of a domesticated animal (typically a pet), to defecate on something. My cat used to always use her litter box, but she regularly does a job on the floor, unfortunately. No, no dogs allowed. What if he did a job on the gallery floor, huh? Looks—and smells—like somebody did a job on her cat bed. Guess I'm cleaning that up!
3. To severely rebuke someone. Man, the boss really did a job on me for messing up that client's account. I had to do a job on my teenage daughter—she keeps breaking curfew! If you submit another project late, the professor will definitely do a job on you.
4. To physically assault someone. The mafia leader sent a couple of goons to do a job on the witness so that she wouldn't testify in court. Tom did a job on the drunken buffoon for making disparaging remarks about his sister. Two would-be muggers tried to rob a Marine, and he did quite a job on them.
See also: job, on
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

do a job on someone/something

1. tv. to ruin someone or something; to give someone or something a thorough working over. The cops did a job on Rocko, but he still wouldn’t talk.
2. Go to do a number on someone.
See also: job, on, someone, something
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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