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Terrlo56 Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

"lay off", "fire", "sack"

What are the differences on "lay off", "fire", "sack", I think "fire" should be the informal one.
  

Top answer

Terrlo56 What are the differences on "lay off", "fire", "sack", I think "fire" should be the informal one. "Sack" or "gave him the sack" would be the most informal. "Fire" sounds cruel, but it's very common; "lay off" is more of a euphemism.

— Philip

  • Terrlo56 What are the differences on "lay off", "fire", "sack", I think "fire" should be the informal one.
  • "Sack" or "gave him the sack" would be the most informal.
  • "Fire" sounds cruel, but it's very common; "lay off" is more of a euphemism.
  • Edit: 'Fire' might imply that the employee really deserved it because of poor quality of work, etc.
  • 'Lay off' is often used when the situation requires a reduction in force rather than because of any fault of the employee.
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2 Answers
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Terrlo56What are the differences on "lay off", "fire", "sack", I think "fire" should be the informal one.
"Sack" or "gave him the sack" would be the most informal. "Fire" sounds cruel, but it's very common; "lay off" is more of a euphemism.

Edit: 'Fire' might imply that the employee really deserved it be
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Hi,

In my experience, 'sack' is rarely heard in N. American English.

There are many euphemisms relating to this topic, eg 'His boss let him go last Friday'.

Clive
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