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Glite Dictionary
off with someone's head

off with someone's head

9 9.9
Command to cut off a person's head as punishment
  • idiom
  • Offensive
: que le corten la cabeza
  • The phrase 'off with someone's head' is often used to evoke harsh royal justice in fiction.

Examples

  • In the classic story, the queen shouted, 'Off with his head!' when she was angered.

  • In the story, the king ordered, "Off with her head!"

  • During the play, the king declared 'off with her head' as punishment for treason.

  • The queen shouted, "Off with his head!"

  • During the play, the king declared 'off with her head' as punishment for treason.

  • In the classic story, the queen shouted, 'Off with his head!' when she was angered.

  • The phrase 'off with someone's head' is often used to evoke harsh royal justice in fiction.

Synonyms

to off
vsoff with someone's head
  • Offensive
215 9.9

To kill someone on purpose

orders cutting the head in historical or literary settings rather than slang killing
to put to death
vsoff with someone's head
  • Offensive
52 7.6

To kill someone as a legal punishment

orders cutting off the head specifically rather than any execution method
to behead
vsoff with someone's head
  • Offensive
48 7.4

Cut off the head of a person or animal to kill them

orders cutting off the head often in historical or literary contexts
to guillotine
vsoff with someone's head
  • NSFW
2 8.9

To kill someone by dropping a heavy angled blade on their neck

orders cutting off the head rather than naming the machine used

Antonyms

to spare
100 3.5

Decide not to hurt someone even though you could

Surface Forms

off with someone's head main

Morphology

off + with + someone's + head

The phrase literally commands removal of a person's head, so a learner who knows 'off' (to remove/kill) and 'head' (body part) could plausibly infer the meaning 'behead/execute'. However, the fixed archaic imperative construction 'off with X' and the non-standard verb use of 'off' are somewhat idiomatic and not a regular compositional pattern, so the exact force and conventional use may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

The phrase off with someone's head comes from times when kings or queens ordered that a criminal's head be taken off as punishment. That's why today it means ordering someone 'to be put to death' or is used in stories to show a ruler's very harsh punishment.