punch out

punch out idiom
  1. Record one's time of departure from work, as in We never punch out at exactly five o'clock. This usage, dating from the 1920s, alludes to the use of a time clock. Also see punch in, def. 1.
  2. Eject from a military aircraft, as in The pilot punched out just before the plane blew up. [Slang; 1960s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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