Is “rid you of” a valid phrase?

Question

Writing about a product, is the following sentence valid?

X aims to rid you of Y

I remember seeing the phrase "rid you of" somewhere before, but this doesn't seem valid for some reason. Any help on this would be great.

kiamlaluno · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-21 10:32:23Z

up vote 2 down vote accepted

Yes, as in "a robber would rid you of your money."

edited Apr 21 '11 at 10:32

kiamlaluno
28.7k863172

answered Apr 21 '11 at 1:57

Kevin
3,618922

	Thanks, makes sense now :) – Shrikant Sharat Apr 21 '11 at 2:02
	I think rid is more often applied to unwanted things. Such as insecticidal shampoo to rid your dog of fleas. – FumbleFingers Apr 21 '11 at 3:00
	@FumbleFingers: Yes, in my case, I am using it for a similar case. – Shrikant Sharat Apr 21 '11 at 10:41
	@FumbleFingers, you're right. It is usually used ironically in cases like this. E.g. Robin Hood said to the duke "That money purse looks awfully heavy, let me rid you of it." – Kevin Apr 21 '11 at 13:22
	@Kevin, Shrikant Sharat: Given this unwanted implication, it's odd that kiamlaluno's Answer currently has less votes. Although Kevin's Answer isn't exactly wrong, I feel compelled to say kiamlaluno's is better. Presumably the lower rating is simply because votes had already been cast before it was posted. Maybe people should be encouraged to go back over old Questions and upvote later, but better Answers where it's clear the ratings don't reflect a true concensus. Anyway, no disrespect, Kevin, but I shall attempt to do that myself on this one now (if my rep allows!) – FumbleFingers Apr 21 '11 at 15:16

kiamlaluno · Answer 2 · 2011-04-21 10:36:47Z

up vote 7 down vote

Rid means "make someone or something free of a troublesome or unwanted person or thing."

This shampoo will rid you of your dandruff.

answered Apr 21 '11 at 10:36

kiamlaluno
28.7k863172

Thanks for the definition :) – Shrikant Sharat Apr 21 '11 at 10:43

2 Answers