bullet
Preserved but no longer current.
To discharge from a situation. To shake the BULLET at anyone, is to threaten him with "the sack," but not to give him actual notice to leave. To get the BULLET is to get notice, while to get the instant BULLET is to be discharged upon the spot. The use of the term is most probably derived from a fancied connexion between it and the word discharge.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “bullet” mean?
To discharge from a situation. To shake the BULLET at anyone, is to threaten him with "the sack," but not to give him actual notice to leave. To get the BULLET is to get notice, while to get the instant BULLET is to be discharged upon the spot. The use of the term is most probably derived from a fancied connexion between it and the word discharge.
Is “bullet” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.