killˈer noun

1. A person, creature, organism, chemical, etc that kills
2. Someone who murders readily or habitually
3. An instrument for killing
4. A neutralizing agent
5. An animal intended for slaughter (Aust and NZ informal)
6. A gruelling task or activity (informal)

Spectacularly impressive, stupendous

killˈing adjective

1. Depriving of life
2. Destructive
3. Deadly, irresistible
4. Exhausting
5. Fascinating
6. Irresistibly funny (informal)

1. The act of causing death, slaughter
2. A large financial gain, esp sudden (informal)
3. A severe handling

killˈingly adverb

kill-courtˈesy noun (Shakespeare)

A discourteous person

killˈcow noun (obsolete)

A bully, a swaggerer

killer cell noun (immunology)

A lymphocyte that destroys certain tumour cells without evident antigen specificity

killer whale noun

1. A ferocious black-and-white toothed marine whale
2. The grampus

killing field noun

A scene of large-scale killing, esp in war

killing time noun (Scot hist)

The days of the persecution of the Covenanters in the 17c

killˈjoy noun

A spoilsport

adjective

Austere, disapproving

kill line noun (mining)

One of the small-bore pipelines, connected through the blow-out preventer stack, that allow denser mud to be pumped into a borehole which has to be shut down because of the danger of a blow-out

kill string see injection string under inject

dressed to kill

Dressed so as to dazzle, attract and impress others

in at the kill (figurative)

Present at the culminating moment

kill by inches

To kill gradually, eg by torture

kill off

1. To exterminate
2. (of an author, etc) to write in the death of (a fictional character)

kill the fatted calf

See under calf¹

kill time

To occupy oneself with amusements, etc, in order to pass spare time or to relieve boredom (also killˈ-time noun an occupation of this sort)

kill two birds with one stone see under bird

kill up (Shakespeare)

To exterminate

make a killing (informal)

To make a lot of money, a large profit