to pay off old scores
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Tp settle accounts; used sometimes of money debts, but usually in the sense of revenging an injury, "getting even" with one.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to pay off old scores” mean?
Tp settle accounts; used sometimes of money debts, but usually in the sense of revenging an injury, "getting even" with one.
Is “to pay off old scores” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.