heave-ho

/hivhoʊ/

Other forms: heave-hos; heave-hoes

When you give something the heave-ho, you get rid of it. If your mom has had enough of your dad's beloved cuckoo clock, she might decide to give it the heave-ho.

Anything you dispose of gets the heave-ho, and the same goes for people who lose their jobs or get kicked out. "He's looking for a new place — I guess his roommates gave him the old heave-ho." This informal word has a nautical source; it's an old sailor's chant or cry that was used while a heavy anchor was being hauled up out of the water.

Definitions of heave-ho

1. noun

   the act or means of getting rid of something
   synonyms: disposal, disposition

   types:

   appointment

   (law) the act of disposing of property by virtue of the power of appointment

   comb-out

   the act of carefully weeding out unwanted things or people

   giving

   disposing of property by voluntary transfer without receiving value in return

   abandonment

   the voluntary surrender of property (or a right to property) without attempting to reclaim it or give it away

   mine disposal

   the disposal of explosive mines

   sewage disposal

   the disposal of sewage

   lending, loaning

   disposing of money or property with the expectation that the same thing (or an equivalent) will be returned

   discard, throwing away

   getting rid something that is regarded as useless or undesirable

   discard

   (cards) the act of throwing out a useless card or of failing to follow suit

   minesweeping

   the activity of detecting and disposing of marine mines

   usury

   the act of lending money at an exorbitant rate of interest

   type of:

   act, deed, human action, human activity

   something that people do or cause to happen
2. noun

   the termination of someone's employment (leaving them free to depart)
   synonyms: discharge, dismissal, dismission, firing, liberation, release, sack, sacking

   types:

   superannuation

   the act of discharging someone because of age (especially to cause someone to retire from service on a pension)

   conge, congee

   an abrupt and unceremonious dismissal

   removal

   dismissal from office

   deactivation, inactivation

   breaking up a military unit (by transfers or discharges)

   honorable discharge

   a discharge from the armed forces with a commendable record

   dishonorable discharge

   a discharge from the armed forces for a grave offense (as sabotage or espionage or cowardice or murder)

   Section Eight

   a discharge from the US Army based on unfitness or character traits deemed undesirable

   purge

   an abrupt or sudden removal of a person or group from an organization or place

   type of:

   conclusion, ending, termination

   the act of ending something