IdiomDaily LifeEnglish

drum someone out of the corps

Meaning: To expel someone from a group or organization.

Example: “After the cheating scandal, he was drummed out of the corps of referees.”

Origin: In the British and American armies, a soldier dismissed in disgrace was paraded out of the regiment to the beat of drums, sometimes with his insignia stripped. The practice dates from the 18th century and gave the figurative phrase for expelling anyone.

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