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heads will roll

Someone will be severely punished, as in If no one meets the chairman's plane, heads will roll. This hyperbolic expression alludes to the punishment of being beheaded.

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Nearby words

  1. headright,
  2. headroom,
  3. heads,
  4. heads or tails,
  5. heads up,
  6. heads-up,
  7. heads-up display,
  8. headsail,
  9. headsaw,
  10. headscarf
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.