kick out the bad habit

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Vincent Teo  #538761  Wed, 09 Jul 08 03:22 PM
Can I say,

He promised to kick out the bad habit.
  
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Avangi  #538765  Wed, 09 Jul 08 03:33 PM
Hi Vincent,  The idiom is "to kick the [bad] habit.  If you include (out) then the expression is no longer recognizable as the idiom "to make yourself free of " the habit.

With the expression, "kick out," the object is usually placed between the two words:  "I'd love to kick those bums out!"  "Kick him out!" 

"Let's kick out all the freeloaders!", where the object comes after the "out," is less common.

Best wishes,  - A.
  
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