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(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
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Pull the Plug (Origin)
What Is the Origin of the Saying "Pull the Plug"?
The term "pull the plug" means to bring something to an end. It stems from the idea of pulling the electrical-supply plug from the wall, thereby causing the machine to stop functioning.Table of Contents
- English Proverbs and Idioms Test
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Examples of Use:
- I'm going to pull the plug on Netflix. It's too expensive.
- If I slip into a coma, just pull the plug. That's no way to live.
- They're threatening to pull the plug on this project so we need to start showing some results.
- We should not have a government program that determines if you're going to pull the plug on grandma. (US Senator Chuck Grassley) (This quotation refers to "pull the plug" in its original sense, i.e., the plug on a life-support machine.)
- Your research is expensive and yielding no usable results. Expect the CEO to pull the plug at the end of the year.
- The Czech tennis federation wasn't holding me back, but they could still pull the plug anytime they wanted. (Tennis star Martina Navratilova) (This quotation refers to "pull the plug" in figurative sense, i.e., ending something like a project or an aspiration.)
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