APAD: Put paid to

Meaning:

    To deal with effectively; to finish something off.

 

Background:

   The expression `Put paid to' derives from book-keepers literally putting

   `Paid' on invoices.

 

- www.phrases.org.uk [edited]

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I saw this phrase a few times in my reading, e.g., in Micheal Lewis's ``The

Premonition: A Pandemic Story'' where he wrote

 

    That put paid to the idea, still at large, that all the infections were

    being caused by humans coming into contact with animals.

 

Here `put paid to` would mean whatever 'that' refers to, be it a debate, an

investigation, Moses's forgotten commandment, etc., has resoundingly vetoed the

popular understanding as to the cause of all the infections.

 

Another example:

    A McMansion in the most affluent neighborhood put paid to his dream of early

    retirement.