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Glite Dictionary
to ride hard and put away wet

to ride hard and put away wet

9.9
To be extremely tired and worn after hard work or rough treatment
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : trabajar duro y quedar exhausto
  • Christ, I feel like I've been rode hard and put away wet.

Examples

  • After working all weekend without rest, I finally felt like I'd ride hard and put away wet.

  • 3) Obama... dude, you look like you've been rode hard and put away wet.

    Blog text (28)

  • The team rides hard and put away wet after every competition, leaving them exhausted but proud.

  • When you push yourself too hard, you end up feeling like you've ride hard and put away wet.

Synonyms

to wear out
vsto ride hard and put away wet
19 2.7

To make a person very tired or a thing stop working by using it too much

is about extreme exertion that makes someone or something stop working afterward
to tire out
vsto ride hard and put away wet
10 2.1

To make a person very tired by using up their energy

refers to more intense, exhausting effort often with no recovery time
to wash up
vsto ride hard and put away wet
  • Informal
7 7.5

To become completely tired and unable to continue

describes even harsher treatment that may leave things neglected or harmed
to haul ashes
vsto ride hard and put away wet
  • Informal
9.9

To feel very tired after hard work or exercise

is broader, meaning severe effort that can also neglect recovery or care

Antonyms

to take it easy
  • Informal
572 2.5

Relax and avoid doing too much or worrying

to recuperate
30 6.3

To get better after being ill, injured, or very tired

Surface Forms

ride hard and put away wet infinitive
riding hard and putting away wet present participle
rides hard and puts away wet third person singular
rode hard and put away wet past
ridden hard and put away wet past participle

Morphology

ride + hard + and + put + away + wet

The component 'ride hard' transparently suggests intense effort, but 'put away wet' is a metaphorical idiom (neglecting recovery or leaving something in poor condition) that is not directly derivable from 'put' + 'away' + 'wet'. The overall meaning (work someone/something extremely hard and leave them in a poor state) is partially signalled by the parts but requires idiomatic knowledge, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would likely not infer the full sense.

Etymology

Ride hard and put away wet may come from horse care: if you ride a horse hard and then put away the horse while it is wet with sweat, the horse could become sick or ruined. That's why today it means 'to work someone or something so hard that they are left tired or damaged'.