Talk:pull out

I tend to think of this as a military term for "remove one's forces from" but not in a "retreat" sense of the word. Retreat to me connotates a defeat in some way. A "withdrawal" (which is more what "pull out" is) is more like: we've decided we're finished here (even if we're not really finished here). And it is a close call for an idiom. --Stranger 15:32, 8 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Idiom-wise, this one is borderline, but it's at least idiom enough to merit the mark, I think. I took a quick survey (of one roommate) and when asked, without context, to use the words "pull out" in a sentence, he produced a military example.  That is more than the sum of its parts, I'd say.


 * Also, I'd agree that it's not necessarily a retreat. A retreat is forced by the enemy, whereas a withdrawal is more voluntary.  I'll try to make the main article reflect that distinction, now.--Dvortygirl 01:14, 17 October 2005 (UTC)

If he doesn't pull out of his slump, his job may be in jeopardy
If he doesn't pull out of his slump, his job may be in jeopardy. Microsoft® Encarta® 2009 How should the example be parsed? --Backinstadiums (talk) 17:30, 14 March 2020 (UTC)

pull the rug out from under
What meaning is used in pull the rug out from under? --Backinstadiums (talk) 18:19, 8 April 2020 (UTC)


 * #1 of course, is that not obvious? Equinox ◑ 18:20, 8 April 2020 (UTC)
 * don't think so. The rug is not INSIDE anything else to be pulled out as in #1 --Backinstadiums (talk) 01:25, 9 April 2020 (UTC)


 * Seriously? Then you need to question the meaning of out, not pull out. Equinox ◑ 01:38, 9 April 2020 (UTC)