walking papers

See synonyms for walking papers on Thesaurus.com
plural nounInformal.
  1. a notification of dismissal.

Origin of walking papers

1
An Americanism dating back to 1815–25

Words Nearby walking papers

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How to use walking papers in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for walking papers

walking papers

pl n
  1. slang, mainly US and Canadian notice of dismissal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for walking papers

walking papers

Notice of dismissal. To “get one's walking papers” is to be fired.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with walking papers

walking papers

A dismissal, as in They're downsizing, and I got my walking papers last week. This slangy expression, first recorded in 1835, refers to a written notice of dismissal.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.