A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

get one’s ticket • get one’s ticket punched
get one’s ticket—
1
. (sl.) be discharged from the army or from
prison: “Coiners” as a rule returned to their profession as soon
as they got their “ticket.” Prison is a great punishment to such
men. 2. qualify for promotion; take a step up in a career path:
Seventeen years before he got his “ticket,” his second mate’s
ticket, he served in the foc’sle before the mast.
Note: 
a) The expression does not correlate in meaning with
the phrase get a ticket— get a notice of an offence against traffic
regulations (usually a speeding or parking offence): It was two
blocks from the hotel, and he might get a ticket for parking.
b) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase
have tickets on oneself
—(Austral. sl.) be vain or conceited:
You’re the bastard that’s always been smug and had tickets on
himself.
get one’s ticket punched —(sl.) 
1
. die or be killed: My brother
Kevin unexpectedly got his ticket punched yesterday. He has
had liver cancer for several years but seemed to be getting bet-
ter recently. 2. = get one’s ticket 2: John was in Vietnam just
to get his ticket punched. Combat is the fastest route to pro-
motion. Cf.: ticketpuncher —(sl.) a career military officer or busi-
nessperson whose primary concern is personal advancement: Not
going with the “business as usual” choice with someone who
is just a sharp person rather than a ticketpuncher was a good
thing…
get one’s wind • get wind
get one’s wind —recover power or ability to breathe without
difficulty: You had better get your wind now, and change your
clothes. Cf.: lose one’s wind — become out of breath when running
or exerting oneself: He avoided stairs and lost his breath tying
his shoelaces.
get wind —(of news, rumors, etc.) become widely known;
spread: The story got wind and was over the camp in a few
hours.