Put out of business meaning in English
Learn how to use Put out of business correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
to put (someone) out of business: to make (someone) go bankrupt, lose their shop or company
to go out of business: to go bankrupt, to close a company permanently
Examples
- "Harold Warbuckle : Are you trying to put me out of business?"
- "I just found out my favorite hotel has gone out of business."
Exercise 1
Replace the terms in bold with synonyms that keep the original meaning of the sentence.
"What's the matter?"
"What's the ?"
"The name rings a bell."
"The name ."
"Are you trying to put me out of business?"
"Are you trying to ?"
Replace the terms in bold with synonyms that keep the original meaning of the sentence.
"What's the matter?"
"What's the problem 1?"
"The name rings a bell."
"The name sounds familiar 2."
"Are you trying to put me out of business?"
"Are you trying to make my company end 3?"
1 problem: This is correct. "What's the matter?" means "what's the problem?". We ask this question if someone seems worried or angry. Example: Sophie, you're crying, what's the matter? Bruno asks Warbuckle "what's the matter?" to find out what his problem is.
1 reason: This is incorrect. A "reason" is a "cause". Example: Lack of sleep is the reason why I'm tired! The terms "reason" and "matter" are not a synonyms.
1 hurry: This is incorrect. The term "hurry" is not a synonym of "matter". To "hurry" is to proceed quickly, usually because you are short of time. Example: If we don't hurry, we'll miss the train. Therefore, "What's the hurry?" = "Why do we need to proceed so quickly?" = "Perhaps you should slow down".
2 sounds familiar: This is correct. If something "rings a bell", it sounds familiar - it stimulates your memory without providing an immediate and clear recollection. Example: Larry David? His name rings a bell, but I can't remember from where or from when. In the dialogue, Bruno recognizes Krazy Gidyeon's name, but it takes him a few seconds to remember him in detail.
2 sounds dangerous: This is incorrect. If something "rings a bell", it does not mean it "sounds dangerous". We might use the term "warning bells" (in a figurative sense) if something sounds dangerous. Example: I heard warning bells when he said he had been married three times before.
2 is well-known to me: This is incorrect. If something "rings a bell", it is only a vague recognition (of a name or some other piece of information). We do not use it if something is well-known or clear in our minds. For example, a professor of classical music would NEVER say: "Beethoven? His name rings a bell!"
3 make my company end: This is correct. If you "put someone out of business" you cause a business, shop or company to fail so that it ends or closes definitively. This is what Harold means when he says, "are you trying to put me out of business?".
3 compete for customers: This is incorrect. "To put someone out of business" does not mean to compete for customers or to divert business or revenue that would normally be received by another company.
3 kill me: This is incorrect. "To put someone out of business" is not a synonym (or euphemism) for killing someone or causing the death of someone.
Exercise 2
Mick says to Bruno "hopefully we can straighten this thing out". What does he mean?
Mick says to Bruno "hopefully we can straighten this thing out". What does he mean?
This is not what this idiom expresses. Mick is expressing his desire to resolve or improve the situation with Warbuckle's Department Stores in Australia, not that he will force Warbuckle to understand his perspective.
The expression "to straighten something out" or "to straighten things out" expresses that something (a problem, a situation, a misunderstanding) will be resolved.
This is not what this idiom expresses. Do not confuse this idiom with the expression "I'll be straight with you" which expresses a sense of honesty or directness on the part of the speaker.
This expression "to straighten something out" does not express the act of "putting someone out of business". To put someone out of business is to effectively end someone's business (by competing with them, for example).
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