walk the plank
Originating from pirate lore, 'walk the plank' has both historical and idiomatic meanings.
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Definition
B2Pirate Era
(historical)A method of execution where a person is forced to walk off a wooden plank extending from a ship, leading to their fall into the sea.
Example
- The captured sailor was made to walk the plank as punishment by the ruthless pirates.
C1Modern Usage
(idiomatic)To be forced to resign or accept the consequences of a failure or wrongdoing.
Example
- After the scandal, the CEO was made to walk the plank by the board of directors.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "walk the plank":
walk the gangplanktake the plungeabandon shipsend to the scaffoldjump offkick the buckettake a dive