serve one’s time—
1. do one’s service in the armed forces:
- I wish I could serve my time in the army; I would gladly serve of my own free will.
2. work as an apprentice for a fixed period of time:
- I thought I was a man and not a sniveling canting apprentice angel serving his time in a vale of tears.
3. serve a prison sentence:
- Prisoners might serve their time in quarries, which would be turned into labor camps.
serve time—
1. shape one’s behavior so as to fit the dominant pattern of one’s times:
- We always wait till the last moment to declare our policy. Gives the impression that we serve time.
2. = serve one’s time 3:
- Since it was known that Brown had once served time, it was often difficult for him to find work.
3. work at a particular task, especially an undesirable one:
- We are enthusiastic about what we do, and we are driven to make a difference, not just serve time.
See also: time service / timeserving.