For a situation when it's about bringing relief to someone in pain by doing a very drastic kind of action (we all know what we're talking about, don't we), there's an expression:
- to put someone out of one's misery
For example, speaking of a wounded enemy, "He's the enemy but he's in pain, I think we should put him out of his misery".
Can also be used figuratively, of course, when it fits the context.
- "The boat's too old, you know; it's time we put it out of its misery and by a new one."
- "His new business is not taking off, I believe he should put it out of its misery and move on to something else".
The level of formalilty and register here is more than average. This expression is a little bookish, too. Still, it always adds to a speaker's reputation when used. It's just good to be able so say something more ethical than "I think we have to kill him".
And one should never use "to kill" when speaking of a pet. That's a completely wrong word to use when there's an aged and/or sick animal which is a part of the family. It's even strange to use "to kill" here. If/when it's necessary, use
- to put to sleep
"Unfortunately, your dog is very old now, she's suffering, I'm afraid the only choice we have is to put her to sleep".
And yes, pets are "he" or "she", whereas a non-domesticated wild animal is (generally) still "it".
#expressions
- to put someone out of one's misery
For example, speaking of a wounded enemy, "He's the enemy but he's in pain, I think we should put him out of his misery".
Can also be used figuratively, of course, when it fits the context.
- "The boat's too old, you know; it's time we put it out of its misery and by a new one."
- "His new business is not taking off, I believe he should put it out of its misery and move on to something else".
The level of formalilty and register here is more than average. This expression is a little bookish, too. Still, it always adds to a speaker's reputation when used. It's just good to be able so say something more ethical than "I think we have to kill him".
And one should never use "to kill" when speaking of a pet. That's a completely wrong word to use when there's an aged and/or sick animal which is a part of the family. It's even strange to use "to kill" here. If/when it's necessary, use
- to put to sleep
"Unfortunately, your dog is very old now, she's suffering, I'm afraid the only choice we have is to put her to sleep".
And yes, pets are "he" or "she", whereas a non-domesticated wild animal is (generally) still "it".
#expressions