1
general::
Phrase(s): do away with someone or an animal
Euph. to kill someone or an animal. (See also do away with oneself; do away with something.) • The crooks did away with the witness. • I was there, too. I hope they don’t try to do away with me., Phrase(s): do away with oneself
Euph. to commit suicide. (See also do away with someone or an animal; do away with something.) • The doctor was afraid that Betty would do away with herself. • I wouldn’t think of doing away with myself., Phrase(s): do away with something
to get rid of something. • This chemical will do away with the stain in your sink. • The time has come to do away with that old building.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
1. Make an end of, eliminate. For example, The town fathers have decided to do away with the old lighting system. 2. Demolish, destroy, kill, as in The animal officer did away with the injured deer lying by the side of the road. In the 13th century both usages were simply put as do away, the with being added only in the late 1700s.
American Heritage Idioms