Meaning of drive a stake through its heart | Babel Free

Definitions

get rid of, destroy permanently or stop talking about

idiomatic

Examples

“The Chandlers also were interested in retaining the family fortune, not squandering it, and the Mirror-News was losing $2 million a year. If, the Chandlers thought, they could kill the Mirror-News and drive a stake through its heart, they would be much better off.”

“"You can't reform ODOT," he says wearily, "you can only drive a stake through its heart."”

“We hear great debate about how this is a bad treaty and we should defeat it and drive a stake through its heart, but what, then, should we do?”

“We can't tinker with this tax code monstrosity or try to reform around the edges. The only thing we can do with this hideous beast is kill it, drive a stake through its heart, bury it, and hope that it never rises again to terrorize the American people.”

CEFR level