give someone the old heave-ho

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

give someone the old heave-ho (third-person singular simple present gives someone the old heave-ho, present participle giving someone the old heave-ho, simple past gave someone the old heave-ho, past participle given someone the old heave-ho)

1. (idiomatic, British) Alternative form of give someone the heave-ho
   • 1947, Gleanings in Bee Culture v.75, A. I. Root Co., page 467:

     Possibly a lot of them gained entry because there were so many other strange bees in the hive, but once they started to load up and run, the natives joined with the old ones and gave them the old heave-ho.

   • 1968, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., “Fortitude”, in Playboy:

     Now I won't have to explain to her what sort of friend you really were and why I gave you the old heave-ho.

   • 1985, William M. Hoffman, As Is, Dramatists Play Service, Inc., published 1999, →ISBN, page 13:

     I think maybe that's why they gave me the old heave-ho from the convent.

   • 1997, Linda Howard, Shades of Twilight, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 156:

     The least she could do was crawl back into her severely stylish shell, so she wouldn't look pitiful when he gave her the old heave-ho.

   • 2003, Garrison Flint, The Case of the Twisted Twins Murders: A Raymond Masters Mystery, G. F. Hutchison Press, →ISBN, page 89:

     So, she gave him the old heave ho!

Synonyms

• give the axe, give the elbow, give someone the boot; see also Thesaurus:lay off