Pink slip ( employment ) - Wikipedia Pink slip ( employment ) Pink slip refers to the American practice, by a human resources department, of including a discharge notice in an employee 's pay envelope to notify the worker of his or her termination of employment or layoff. Contents 1 Origin 2 Usage 3 See also 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 External links Origin The `` pink slip '' has become a metonym for the termination of employment in general. According to an article in The New York Times, the editors of the Random House Dictionary have dated the term to at least as early as 1910. The phrase most likely originated in vaudeville. When the United Booking Office ( established in 1906 ) would issue a cancellation notice to an act, the notice was on a pink slip. Another possible etymology is that many applications ( including termination papers ) are done in triplicate form, with each copy on a different color of paper, one of which is typically pink. Usage In the Chilly Willy cartoon, `` little Televillian '' Mr. Stoop tells Smedley that if he 's disturbed while reading show scripts, he would be forced to pink slip him. Smedley indicates that he does n't know the meaning of a `` pink slip '', so Mr. Stoop yells at him : `` It means... you will be fired ! '' In the UK and Ireland the equivalent of a pink slip is a P45 ; in Belgium the equivalent is known as a C4. See also P45 Red tape References Jump up ^ Prial, Frank J. ( 1991 - 06 - 18 ). `` Among Those Let Go, the Pink Slip Itself ''. The New York Times, 18 June 1991. Retrieved on 2008 - 10 - 22 from https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5D8153FF93BA25755C0A967958260. Jump up ^ `` The Argot of Vaudeville Part I '', The New York Times, December 16, 1917, p. X7. Jump up ^ http://ezeeprinting.com/uploads/Carbonless_Pad.png Bibliography External links This business - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pink_slip_(employment)&oldid=805178028 '' Categories : English - language slang Termination of employment Business stubs Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2017 All stub articles Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch తెలుగు Edit links This page was last edited on 13 October 2017, at 15 : 59. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: where does the term pink slip come from
Answer: most likely originated in vaudeville