buy it

1. Believe it; see buy something .

2. Suffer a severe reversal, as in If they can't raise the money in time, they'll buy it . [ Slang ; mid-1900s]

3. Be killed; die. For example, By the time we could get to the hospital, he had bought it . Originating during World War I as military slang, this term later was extended to peacetime forms of death. A later slang equivalent is buy the farm , dating from about 1950. For example, He'll soon buy the farm riding that motorcycle . According to J.E. Lighter, it alludes to training flights crashing in a farmer's field, causing the farmer to sue the government for damages sufficient to pay off the farm's mortgage. Since the pilot usually died in such a crash, he in effect bought the farm with his life.

Example Sentences

“My wife … she found this house, but we bought it because of that,” said Ken McWaid, gesturing at the view of Camarillo.

From Los Angeles Times

I was having a really good year at the shop, so I bought it not just for me but for my younger self.

From Los Angeles Times

"You are not going to build a lot of houses for someone to come along in three or four years and buy it below market value," he says.

From BBC

"The business case is there, it's not new technology, it's old technology - we can buy it of the shelf," said Prof Middleburgh.

From BBC

The county inspected the building and will buy it “as-is,” Davenport said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cease
• close
• conclude
• depart
• die
• finish
• lapse
• pass
• pass away
• quit
• run out
• terminate