walking papers
Americanplural noun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of walking papers
An Americanism dating back to 1815–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Thirty-three years of service and this is what you get: your walking papers, with maybe a medal thrown in.
From Salon • Sep. 20, 2020
We’re a week away from Black Monday, the NFL’s annual flurry of head coaches being given their walking papers.
From Washington Post • Dec. 23, 2019
Now-former Baltimore Raven Jordan Lasley got his walking papers Wednesday after a crazy week that included fighting with teammates, scoring a touchdown and inexplicably throwing a football into a pond.
From Fox News • Aug. 2, 2019
How much of a plan did you have when you handed in your walking papers?
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2016
"You'll be lucky if that mistake doesn't give you your walking papers," said the foreman.
From Flip's "Islands of Providence" by Bonsall, Elizabeth Fearne
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.
