english
1
general::
Phrase(s): do time Sl. to serve a sentence in prison; to serve a specific amount of time in prison. • Lefty had done time on a number of occasions. • You’d better talk and talk fast if you don’t want to do time.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Serve a prison sentence, as in Many of the gang members did time while they were still teenagers. This expression originated as underworld slang and is now standard usage. [c. 1860]
American Heritage Idioms