under the hammer

Idioms  

1. For sale, as in These paintings and Oriental rugs must come under the hammer if we're to pay the mortgage. This expression alludes to the auctioneer's hammer, which is rapped to indicate a completed transaction. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

under the hammer

The instruments, which were used during his time with The Smiths and on his forthcoming solo album, went under the hammer as part of Christie's Marr's Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection sale.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Auction House, Sworders, is putting the guitar under the hammer on 29 October, along with other items from the collection of his personal assistant, Siobhan Bailey, who died in 2014.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Pele’s 1958 World Cup jersey goes under the hammer.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

Later in the week, on June 4, Julien's Auctions will put nearly 200 pieces of Monroe memorabilia under the hammer as part of its special "100 Years of Marilyn" sale.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

He knew that revolvers of this particular model had a penchant for accidental discharge when bumped or dropped, so he loaded it with only five cartridges and kept the empty chamber under the hammer.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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