on the block

Idioms  

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.

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Example Sentences

The police truck idled for a moment before reversing down the street, drawing a round of applause from the crowd that had formed on the block.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

There’s also the new kid on the block.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

"I was more nervous than maybe I'd realised for the first run and I felt a little bit like jelly on the block," she said.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

Founded in 2015, IonQ may be the new kid on the block, but it has quickly set to work landing contracts and building relationships with potential customers.

From Barron's • Dec. 11, 2025

One day in May there weren’t any kids on the block to play with except Clyde Johnson, who was too young to play with.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers