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]

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