drain the python

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Meaning · English

completely eliminate or solve a complex problem

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

giải quyết hoàn toàn hoặc loại bỏ vấn đề phức tạp

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: empty the snake
Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

The team worked to drain the python of bureaucratic red tape

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.

Common questions

What does “drain the python” mean?

completely eliminate or solve a complex problem Literally: empty the snake

Is “drain the python” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.