1
general::
Phrase(s): rub something out
to obliterate something by rubbing. • See if you can rub those stains out. • Rub out the graffiti on the side of the car if you can., Phrase(s): rub someone out
Sl. to kill someone. (Underworld.) • The gunman was eager to rub somebody out. • The crooks tried to rub out the witness.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
1. Obliterate or erase by, or as if by, rubbing. For example, Bill was so busy rubbing out the old markings that he forgot to put in new ones. [Mid-1600s] 2. Murder, kill, as in They threatened to rub him out if he didn't pay up. [Slang; mid-1800s]
American Heritage Idioms