fall on one's sword
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.04 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To resign from a job or other position of responsibility, especially when pressured to do so.
verb
To voluntarily take the blame for a situation.
verb
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: To commit suicide by allowing one’s body to drop onto the point of one's sword.
Example Sentences
- "[Bob] Stempel was laboring to undo the damage when GM's board forced him to fall on his sword after little more than two years on the job."
- "‘There is no sympathy for her […]’ one Minister said. ‘She [Jacqui Smith] may just fall on her sword, or Gordon [Brown] might humiliate her with a demotion to something like the Department for International Development."
- "The minister fell on his sword after a day that began with senior Tories observing a deliberate silence over Hancock’s future – seemingly to test public opinion in their constituencies – before many later broke ranks to insist he had to go."
- "The bemedaled Marine refused to fall on his sword and take full blame for the scandal."
- "Humility does not require you to fall on your sword."
- "In written testimony given to Congress and made public the day before the hearing, Hurd falls on his sword, apologizing for HP's spying on its own directors and invading the privacy of journalists."
Etymology
Refers to the practice of some Roman military leaders, who would commit suicide following a devastating defeat by literally falling on the point of their own swords.