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polish off

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pol⋅ish

  [pol-ish]
Use polish off in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to make smooth and glossy, esp. by rubbing or friction: to polish a brass doorknob.
2. to render finished, refined, or elegant: His speech needs polishing.
–verb (used without object)
3. to become smooth and glossy through polishing: a flooring that polishes easily.
4. Archaic. to become refined or elegant.
–noun
5. a substance used to give smoothness or gloss: shoe polish.
6. the act of polishing.
7. state of being polished.
8. smoothness and gloss of surface.
9. superiority of manner or execution; refinement; elegance: the polish of a professional singer.
—Verb phrases
10. polish off, Informal.
a. to finish or dispose of quickly: They polished off a gallon of ice cream between them.
b. to subdue or get rid of someone: The fighter polished off his opponent in the first round.
11. polish up, to improve; refine: She took lessons to polish up her speech.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME polishen < MF poliss-, long s. of polir < L polīre to polish; see -ish 2

Related forms:
pol⋅ish⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. shine, brighten, burnish, buff, smooth. 8. shine, gleam. Polish, gloss, luster, sheen refer to a smooth, shining, or bright surface from which light is reflected. Polish suggests the smooth, bright reflection often produced by friction: rubbed to a high polish. Gloss suggests a superficial, hard smoothness characteristic of lacquered, varnished, or enameled surfaces: a gloss on oilcloth, on paper. Luster denotes the characteristic quality of the light reflected from the surfaces of certain materials (pearls, silk, wax, freshly cut metals, etc.): a pearly luster. Sheen, sometimes poetical, suggests a glistening brightness such as that reflected from the surface of silk or velvet, or from furniture oiled and hand-polished: a rich velvety sheen.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pol·ish   (pŏl'ĭsh)   
v.   pol·ished, pol·ish·ing, pol·ish·es

v.   tr.

  1. To make smooth and shiny by rubbing or chemical action.

  2. To remove the outer layers from (grains of rice) by rotation in drums.

  3. To free from coarseness; refine: polish one's manners.

  4. To remove flaws from; perfect or complete: polish one's piano technique; polish up the lyrics.

v.   intr.

  1. To become smooth or shiny by or as if by being rubbed.

  2. To become perfect or refined.

n.  

  1. Smoothness or shininess of surface or finish.

  2. A substance containing chemical agents or abrasive particles and applied to smooth or shine a surface: shoe polish.

  3. The act or process of polishing.

  4. Elegance of style or manners; refinement.

Phrasal Verb(s):
polish off Informal To finish or dispose of quickly and easily.

[Middle English polisshen, from Old French polir, poliss-, from Latin polīre; see pel-5 in Indo-European roots.]
pol'ish·er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

polish  (v.)
c.1300, from O.Fr. poliss-, prp. stem of polir "to polish," from L. polire "to polish, make smooth," of unknown origin. The notion of "to free from coarseness, to refine" first recorded 1340. Polished "elegant" is attested from c.1412. Slang polish off "finish" is 1837, from notion of applying a coat of polish being the final step in a piece of work. The noun is first recorded c.1704, from the verb.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

polish off

Finish or dispose of, especially quickly and easily. For example, We polished off the pie in no time, or If everyone helps, we can polish off this job today. This usage, dating from the early 1800s, came from boxing, where it originally meant "to defeat an opponent quickly and easily." By the 1830s it was used more generally.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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