Definition
get rid of, destroy permanently or stop talking about
Origins
Refers to a common way of killing vampires in fiction.
In Context
- "The Chandlers also were interested in retaining the family fortune, not squandering it, and the Mirror-News was losing $2 million a year. If, the Chandlers thought, they could kill the Mirror-News and drive a stake through its heart, they would be much better off."
- ""You can't reform ODOT," he says wearily, "you can only drive a stake through its heart.""
- "We hear great debate about how this is a bad treaty and we should defeat it and drive a stake through its heart, but what, then, should we do?"
- "We can't tinker with this tax code monstrosity or try to reform around the edges. The only thing we can do with this hideous beast is kill it, drive a stake through its heart, bury it, and hope that it never rises again to terrorize the American people."