kill

be in at the kill be present at or benefit from the successful conclusion of an enterprise.

curiosity killed the cat: seecuriosity.

dressed to kill: seedressed.

go (or move in or close in) for the kill take decisive action to turn a situation to your advantage.

if it kills you whatever the problems or difficulties involved. informal

2001Nancy Hope WilsonMountain Pose I'm cracking that code if it kills me.

kill the fatted calf: seefatted.

kill the goose that lays the golden egg: seegoose.

kill or cure (of a remedy for a problem) likely to either work well or fail catastrophically, with no possibility of partial success. British

2010Guardian Andrew Smith, chief economist at KPMG, described Osborne's tough measures as 'a kill or cure' budget, adding: 'The aim is to eliminate the structural deficit over this parliament, but it risks choking off the recovery.'

kill time do things to make time seem to pass more quickly and to avoid getting bored, especially while waiting for something.

kill two birds with one stone achieve two aims at once.

kill someone with (or by) kindness spoil someone by overindulging them.

☞ This expression dates back to the mid 16th century; it famously appears in the title of Thomas Heywood's play A Woman Killed with Kindness (1607).

kill yourself laughing be overcome with laughter.