be in at the kill Definition

kill
verb killed, killing

tr & intr
1. To cause the death of (an animal or person); to put someone to death; to murder; to slaughter; to destroy someone or something.

Thesaurus: slay, murder, assassinate, do away with, eliminate, execute, exterminate, lynch, extinguish, finish off, massacre, rub out (US slang), bump off ( slang), hit ( slang); slaughter, butcher; sacrifice, put to sleep.
2. colloq
To cause severe pain to someone.
Example: My feet are killing me
3. colloq
To cause something to fail; to put an end to it.
Example: how to kill a conversation
4. To defeat (a parliamentary bill); to veto (a proposal).

Thesaurus: cancel, annul, nullify, halt, stop, veto, prohibit, refuse, forbid.
5. colloq
To cause something to stop; to turn off or switch off (lights, machinery, etc).
Example: Kill the engine
6. colloq
To destroy the effect of something.
Example: The turquoise kills the green
Thesaurus: cancel out, nullify, counteract.
7. colloq
To deaden (pain, noise, etc).
8. To pass (time), especially aimlessly or wastefully, while waiting for some later event.

Example: killing an hour in the pub before his train left
9. colloq, especially ironic
To exhaust or put a strain on someone.
Example: Don't kill yourself doing unpaid overtime
10. colloq
To overwhelm someone with admiration, amazement, laughter, etc.
11. football.
To bring (a loose ball) under control.
12. squash.tennis.
To play (a shot) so hard that an opponent is unable to return it.

noun

1. An act of killing.
2. The prey killed by any creature.
3. Game killed.
4. An act of destroying an enemy plane, ship or tank, etc.
5. Such an enemy target destroyed.

Derivative: killer

A person or creature that kills;
Thesaurus: murderer, assassin, butcher, hit man, gunman, slayer, liquidator, executioner, exterminator, hatchet man (slang), terminator.

A creature that kills;

Note: as adj

Example: killer bees

A habitual murderer.

colloq
A gruelling task or activity.

(ustral & NZ)
colloq
An animal intended for slaughter.

Idiom: be in at the kill

colloq
To be present at someone's dramatic downfall, or some other kind of confrontation or culmination.

Idiom: kill oneself

colloq
To be reduced to helpless laughter.
Example: It was so funny we were absolutely killing ourselves

Idiom: kill the fatted calf

To prepare an elaborate feast, etc for a homecoming or welcome.

Idiom: kill two birds with one stone

To accomplish two things by one action.

Etymology: 13c as cullen or killen.

Phrasal Verb: kill someone or something off

To destroy completely; to exterminate.
Example: The frost killed off most of the greenfly
Said of an author, scriptwriter, etc: to write in the death of (a character).