Give someone the works
verb phrase
To mistreat or beat severely; clobber, WORK someone OVER: They took him into the adjoining room and gave him the works (1920+)
Related Terms
the works
Read Also:
- Give someone up
verb phrase To turn someone in to the authorities; to betray: gave him up to the cops
- Give someone what for
verb phrase To beat or punish severely; drub either physically or verbally; clobber, LET someone HAVE IT: two or three of us would pitch on him and give him ”what-for” (1873+ British)
- Give something a shot
verb phrase (Variations: crack or go or rip or ripple may replace shot) To have a try at; make an attempt: He gave the exam a good shot, but flunked it/ Let’s give it a rip. We’ve nothing to lose (entry form 1840+)
- Give something a whirl
Make a brief or experimental try, as in I’ve never made a pie but I’ll give it a whirl. [ ; late 1800s ]
- Give something the deep six
verb phrase To dispose definitively of; jettison; throw overboard: They gave those files the deep six [1940s+ Nautical; probably fr the six feet of a fathom, the unit for measuring depth]