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to do a job on somebody or something
01
to harm or negatively affect someone or something
IdiomWhat is the origin of the idiom "do a job on someone or something" and when to use it?
The idiom "do a job on someone or something" is thought to have started in the early 1900s from boxing. In boxing, when a fighter knocks their opponent off their feet and defeats them in a big way, it means they won easily and the other person did not expect it. This meaning of the phrase slowly changed and today, the idiom is commonly used in informal settings to mean that someone or something was defeated or damaged in a big way.
Example
The harsh criticism in the media really did a job on the actor's confidence.
His careless actions did a job on the delicate machinery, causing it to malfunction.
