To pay somebody off

[Guest]

Test No. incompl/advan-4 "Newspaper Headlines", question 3

When the building was completed, all the workers were paid ..........

(a) off
(b) through
(c) out
(d) over

Test No. incompl/advan-4 "Newspaper Headlines", answer 3

When the building was completed, all the workers were paid off.

Correct answer: (a) off
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Could you explain why out is choosen in this sentence??

[Torsten]

To pay somebody out means to give them the amount of money they are entitled to.
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[rich7]

I assume here the correct answer is "pay off"
hence your explanation.

Pay out:http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pay%20out

Also:http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861724333
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I should have been born in the USA.
I've got this thing about America.

[Torsten]

Yes of course, pay off is the correct expression. Thanks for pointing out.
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary