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walk the plank |
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walk the plank Fig. to suffer punishment at the hand of someone. (Fig. on the image of pirates making their blindfolded captives die by walking off the end of a plank jutting out over the open sea.) Fred may think he can make the members of my department walk the plank, but we will fight back. Tom thought he could make John walk the plank, but John fought back. walk the plank to be forced to leave your job See Take a hike!, stand tallUsage notes: In the past, people on ships who had committed crimes were forced to walk to the end of a plank (= a long flat piece of wood) and go over the side of the ship into the water. Several Cabinet Ministers have been forced to walk the plank following the latest Government scandal. walk the plank to have to leave your job After he was caught stealing from the company, the treasurer was forced to walk the plank. Etymology: based on the literal meaning of walk the plank ( to punish someone who worked on a ship by forcing them to walk off the end of a narrow board into the sea) How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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We will seize the children and carry them to the boat: the boys we will make walk the plank, and Wendy shall be our mother. At present, in the splendid autumn weather - the autumn at least was a pure boon in the terrible place - he loafed about his "work" undeterred, secretly agitated; not in the least "minding" that the whole proposition, as they said, was vulgar and sordid, and ready to climb ladders, to walk the plank, to handle materials and look wise about them, to ask questions, in fine, and challenge explanations and really "go into" figures. A portion of several boards holding together had fallen across the rail, and one end protruded overboard, like a gangway leading upon nothing, like a gangway leading over the deep sea, leading to death--as if inviting us to walk the plank at once and be done with our ridiculous troubles. |
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