hold a gun to someone's head
- hold a gun to someone's head
- hold a gun to (someone's) head
to use threats to get what you want.
No one held a gun to her head and made her live with the guy — she made that bad decision all on her own.
Etymology: based on the literal meaning of hold a gun to somebody's head(= to point a gun at a person to show them that you will shoot them dead if they don't do what you want)
New idioms dictionary.
2014.
Look at other dictionaries:
hold a gun to someone's head — hold/put/a gun to someone’s head informal phrase to blackmail someone (=force them to do something by threatening to do something bad to them) Thesaurus: to nag or force someone to do somethingsynonym … Useful english dictionary
hold a gun to (someone's) head — hold/put a gun to (someone s) head to use threats to force someone to do what you want. Management are holding a gun to our heads. If we don t behave we ll lose our jobs … New idioms dictionary
hold/put a gun to someone's head — to force someone to do something by using threats You don t have to go if you don t want to. No one s holding a gun to your head. • • • Main Entry: ↑gun … Useful english dictionary
put a gun to someone's head — hold/put/a gun to someone’s head informal phrase to blackmail someone (=force them to do something by threatening to do something bad to them) Thesaurus: to nag or force someone to do somethingsynonym … Useful english dictionary
put a gun to (someone's) head — hold/put a gun to (someone s) head to use threats to force someone to do what you want. Management are holding a gun to our heads. If we don t behave we ll lose our jobs … New idioms dictionary
hold a gun to head — hold a gun to (someone s) head to use threats to get what you want. No one held a gun to her head and made her live with the guy she made that bad decision all on her own. Etymology: based on the literal meaning of hold a gun to somebody s head( … New idioms dictionary
gun — gun1 W2S2 [gʌn] n [Date: 1300 1400; Origin: Perhaps from Gunnilda, a woman s name, from Old Norse Gunnhildr] 1.) a metal weapon which shoots bullets or ↑shells have/hold/carry a gun ▪ I could see he was carrying a gun. ▪ I ve never fired a gun in … Dictionary of contemporary English
gun — gun1 [ gʌn ] noun count *** 1. ) a weapon that shoots bullets, for example a pistol or a rifle. You load a gun with ammunition and pull the trigger to use it: Move! said Cardiff, waving the gun at them. She found herself looking down the barrel… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
gun — I UK [ɡʌn] / US noun [countable] Word forms gun : singular gun plural guns *** 1) a) a weapon that shoots bullets, for example a pistol or a rifle. You load a gun with ammunition and pull the trigger to use it a gang armed with machine guns Move! … English dictionary
hold — hold1 W1S1 [həuld US hould] v past tense and past participle held [held] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(in your hand/arms)¦ 2¦(event)¦ 3¦(keep something in position)¦ 4¦(job/title)¦ 5¦(keep/store)¦ 6¦(keep something available for somebody)¦ 7¦(keep somebody… … Dictionary of contemporary English