stamp out

stamp out idiom
Extinguish or destroy, as in The government stamped out the rebellion in a brutal way, or The police were determined to stamp out drug dealers. This metaphoric expression alludes to extinguishing a fire by trampling on it. [Mid-1800s]

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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