ENGLISH
REFERENCE

pink slip

idiom
Meaning

A notice of termination of employment.


Origin

disputed origin

From pink + slip (“piece of paper”), referring to the colour of the paper, in some cases as it was in past, and not necessarily present, practice. * (automobile title): Most likely from California, where the title is printed on a smaller index-card sized piece of pink paper; in other states the title is typically a full-size 8 1/2" x 11" sheet, usually printed on blue or blue-green paper with borders, similar to a stock certificate.

Examples
SIMPLE

She got a pink slip after ten years at the company.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager called him into the office and handed him a pink slip without any warning.

COMPLEX

When the factory closed, hundreds of workers received pink slips on the same bleak December morning.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    give someone the slip

    To evade, escape, or get away from somebody.

  2. 02

    let slip

    To divulge a secret, as by accident or mistake.

  3. 03

    let something slip

    To accidentally reveal a secret.

  4. 04

    slip back to old ways

    to return to past bad habits

  5. 05

    slip into

    To put on some clothes rapidly.

  6. 06

    slip of the pen

    A mistake in handwriting; (loosely) any minor error by the writer that made it into print, having not been caught by editors or proofreaders.

  7. 07

    slip of the tongue

    A mistake in speech.

  8. 08

    slip out

    To leave quietly and unnoticed.

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