place (oneself) at (someone's) mercy

1. To plead with someone to show one lenience and mercy. I have no excuse for what I did. I can only place myself at your mercy and beg for forgiveness. She threw herself at the court's mercy, arguing that her dependence on drugs led her to commit those crimes.

2. To put control over one's fate into someone else's hand. Anyone participating in the scheme is essentially placing themselves at the government's mercy.

See also: mercy, place

See also:

throw (oneself) on/at (someone's) mercy
throw (oneself) on/at the mercy of (someone)
throw (oneself) upon the mercy of (someone)
throw oneself at the mercy of some authority
throw oneself on the mercy of
throw yourself on somebody's mercy
throw (oneself) upon (someone's) mercy
mercy
beg on bended knee
bended

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