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Glite Dictionary
to lock him up and throw away the key

to lock him up and throw away the key

2 9.5
Put someone in prison and never let them out
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : encerrarlo y tirar la llave
  • We locked him up and threw away the key.

Examples

Synonyms

to lock
vsto lock him up and throw away the key
∞ 1.0

To fasten something with a key so other people cannot open it

specifies permanent imprisonment as a punishment not mere securing
to lock up
vsto lock him up and throw away the key
300 4.0

Put someone or something in a place where they cannot leave, for example a jail

adds the sense of lifelong punishment rather than temporary securing
to imprison
vsto lock him up and throw away the key
  • Formal
178 4.2

Put someone in prison as a punishment or keep them locked up

focuses on indefinite imprisonment rather than temporary confinement
to put away
vsto lock him up and throw away the key
115 5.8

To lock someone in prison or a secure place

signals long term or indefinite confinement rather than short stays
to jail
vsto lock him up and throw away the key
108 2.1

To put someone in prison as punishment

carries the idea of never being released rather than simple custody
to incarcerate
vsto lock him up and throw away the key
  • Formal
18 8.4

To put someone in prison and keep them there

emphasizes permanent punishment rather than mere detention
to lock up and toss the key
vsto lock him up and throw away the key
  • Informal
9.3

Put someone in prison and never let them leave

is used to order lifelong confinement as final punishment

Antonyms

to let go
∞ 1.4

To stop holding something or someone so they are free

release
279 1.8

An act of letting someone or something go free from being held

How Permanent

to lock him up and throw away the key
  • Informal
2 9.5
to imprison
  • Formal
178 4.2
sentence
  • Specialized
659 7.0
to punish
821 1.0
to reprimand
  • Formal
33 6.1

Surface Forms

lock him up and throw away the key infinitive

Morphology

lock + him + up + and + throw + away + the + key

The overall meaning is directly inferable by composing the parts: 'lock' + 'up' conveys imprisoning someone and 'throw away the key' literally means discarding the means of release, so together they imply keeping someone imprisoned indefinitely. The metaphorical act of throwing away the key is a simple, cross-linguistically transparent way to signal preventing release, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to understand it.

Etymology

Lock him up and throw away the key creates a clear picture: someone is literally locked up and the guard throws away the key, so the phrase means 'to keep someone in prison forever'.