defenestrate
/diːˈfɛnɪstreɪt
/verb [with object]
1 rare Throw (someone) out of a window: she had made up her mind that the woman had been defenestrated, although the official verdict had been suicide...
- Playing the whole album might cause a hungover person to defenestrate themselves.
- Later in the film, Richard, a gaunt, haggard, disease-ravaged poet defenestrates himself before the eyes of his best friend and former lover, the achingly frustrated Clarissa Vaughan.
- He allegedly ordered the two male students to pick her up and throw her out the window. I've heard of students being suspended and expelled, but this is the first time I've heard of a student being defenestrated.
2 informal Remove or dismiss (someone) from a position of power or authority: the overwhelming view is that he should be defenestrated before the next election...
- Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, seen as modernising go-getters in their early years in office, had eventually to be defenestrated by their own colleagues to save their party's reputation.
- Malema was defenestrated, but Vavi is still a loud voice within the alliance.
- The reaction to what was seen as Hodgson's rather skewed perspective contributed to the campaign to have the manager defenestrated.
Origin
Early 17th century (as defenestrated): see defenestration.