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.
Nearby words
headright, headroom, heads, heads or tails, heads up, heads will roll, heads-up, heads-up display, headsail, headsaw, headscarf
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.