put someone out of his or her misery
Idioms-
Kill a wounded or suffering animal or person, as in When a horse breaks a leg, there is nothing to do but put it out of its misery . [Late 1700s]
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End someone's feeling of suspense, as in Tell them who won the tournament; put them out of their misery . [c. 1920] Both usages employ put out of in the sense of “extricate” or “free from.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
