swing for

swing for (someone or something)

1. To attempt to strike someone or something, as with a punch or a handheld weapon. The guy swung for me when I tried to calm him down. She grabbed the bat and started swinging for the piñata.

2. To be executed by hanging for some crime one has committed. Under the brutal dictatorship, you could swing for even whispering dissatisfaction with the government. A: "Yes, I confess, it was I who murdered her!" B: "You'll swing for this, Ericson."

See also: for, swing

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

swing for something

Fig. [for someone] to die by hanging for committing a crime. The sheriff swore that Tex would swing for the killing. Max said he would not swing for something that Lefty had done.

See also: for, swing

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.