Put paid to

[Mike Etherington]

There is an English expression to 'put paid to', (or put pay to - not
sure). Does anyone know the correct usage (paid/pay) and it's origin? It
means to 'put and end to' something.
Thanks
Mike
effingpot.com
English/American dictionary

[Jack Gavin]

Mike Etherington wrote in message <386E24...@effingpot.comNOSPAM>...

>There is an English expression to 'put paid to', (or put pay to - not
>sure). Does anyone know the correct usage (paid/pay) and it's origin? It
>means to 'put and end to' something.

When I hear that expression, I imagine a businessman stamping "Paid" onto a
customer's bill/check/tab/invoice/statement, indicating that there is no
more claim for payment.

(I have no idea whether that circumstance is in fact the correct origin.)

I've mostly heard it used as meaning "ended (some relationship or
situation)", such as "put paid to his love affair".

--
Jack Gavin

[Maria Conlon]

Jack Gavin wrote in message ...

>Mike Etherington wrote in message

>>There is an English expression to 'put paid to', (or put
pay to - not
>>sure). Does anyone know the correct usage (paid/pay) and
it's origin? It
>>means to 'put and end to' something.

>When I hear that expression, I imagine a businessman
stamping "Paid" onto a
>customer's bill/check/tab/invoice/statement, indicating
that there is no
>more claim for payment.
>
>(I have no idea whether that circumstance is in fact the
correct origin.)
>
>I've mostly heard it used as meaning "ended (some
relationship or
>situation)", such as "put paid to his love affair".

I would change Jack's reply just a tiny bit: When I hear
that expression, I image a *bookkeeper* or *sales clerk*
stamping "Paid" on a bill. "Businessman" (or
"businesswoman") conjures up visions for me of someone who
has someone else do the routine tasks.

Maria

[Jack Gavin]

Maria Conlon wrote in message <84lkl3$end$1...@nntp3.atl.mindspring.net>...

Fair enough. Perhaps I have been to more small places of business where
the business owner *is* the retail operator. Also, I include independent
contractors (painter, plumber, etc) in my connotation of "businessman".

--
Jack Gavin

[peter stewart richards]

I think you've missed the extended conotation of the idiom. It's not
only used to register having 'done with' some irksome functionary, but also
other irkers (?) as in "that put paid to his whining", in which case the
payment may have come in non-pecuniary form. think you can even go as far
as to attribute it to being quit inanimate phenomena, such as "putting paid
to the rattling of those tappets". In the latter case, on reflection, it
does seem as though the phenomenon was metaphorically animated fro the sake
of the phrase.

London English

p

Jack Gavin wrote in message

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