put to sleep

Idioms & Phrases

put to sleep

  1. Bore utterly, as in That show put me to sleep. This hyperbolic term implies that something is so dull one could fall asleep.

  2. Kill, especially as a kindness, as in We had to put the cat to sleep. This euphemism dates from the mid-1900s.

  3. Subject to anesthesia, as in This injection will put you to sleep so you won't feel any pain.

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