walk the plank
Be forced to resign, as in We were sure that Ted hadn't left of his own accord; he'd walked the plank. This metaphoric idiom alludes to a form of execution used in the 17th century, mainly by pirates, whereby a victim was forced to walk off the end of a board placed on the edge of the ship's deck and so drown. [Second half of 1800s]
Words Nearby walk the plank
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use walk the plank in a sentence
There they are today, insolent-eyed and "walk-the-plank" mannered to all but the few whom they feel they can hold to high ransom.
Fifth Avenue | Arthur Bartlett Maurice
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