on the block

1. . Offer for sale, as in These paintings will all be put on the block . This usage alludes to the auction block, the platform from which the auctioneer sells, so called since the mid-1800s.

2. put one's head on the block . Take a great risk, make oneself vulnerable, as in I'm not going to put my head on the block just to save her reputation . This usage alludes to the executioner's block, on which victims are beheaded, so called since the mid-1500s.

Example Sentences

One of the best things about our house was that it was the first on the block to have indoor plumbing; everyone else used the bathroom in their outhouse, a shack with a hole in the ground and a seat you would sit on as you relieved yourself.

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Carmen Hechavarria, 54, grew up on the block with Rutman.

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Christyne Burdett has lived on the block for 28 years.

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The David Ellison-led company previously submitted multiple unsolicited offers to buy Warner Discovery, which then put itself on the block.

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Plus, Chappell Roan received a physical token of what her fans already knew: She was the hottest new act on the block.

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