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I (a native American English speaker) find the neutered him phrasing funny, somewhat implying that you neutered him the way you would a dog. Neutered his argument would work okay, but in applying it to a living being the first sense is much stronger for me.

Danica
– Danica

2017-03-27 22:57:31 +00:00
Commented Mar 27, 2017 at 22:57
@Dougal: My impression is that this usage really is a metaphor for precisely what you describe, based on the belief that neutering an animal eliminates their more aggressive/forceful tendencies and makes them docile.

user66219
– user66219

2017-03-28 01:14:11 +00:00
Commented Mar 28, 2017 at 1:14
And the usage has bonus points in this particular context for likening the guy's actions to those of an animal.

user66219
– user66219

2017-03-28 01:17:12 +00:00
Commented Mar 28, 2017 at 1:17

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