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

The item, which goes under the hammer in Penshurst later this month, was awarded to the engineer of a steamship responsible for saving more than 700 of the stricken ocean liner's passengers in April 1912.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

It is going under the hammer for the first time in more than two decades on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Nov. 27, 2025

Sotheby's revealed that Cattelan created three toilets in 2016, with the second version on display in a bathroom at New York's Breuer Building until it went under the hammer.

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

Also going under the hammer is a 10.08-carat vivid pink diamond, named "The Glowing Rose", which is expected to rake in around $20 million.

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025

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