walk the gangplank
Forced maritime exit
To walk the gangplank is to be forced toward punishment or doom, from the pirate-era practice of making captives walk off a narrow plank extended over the ship's side into the sea.
Now usually figurative for being compelled to accept an unpleasant fate, especially forced resignation or termination: The CEO was made to walk the gangplank after the scandal broke.
Off a vessel's deck
- piratesMaritime thieves and raiders
- shipSeagoing transport vessel
- mutinyRevolt against authority
- buccaneersCaribbean sea raiders
deck · captain · crew · cutlass · Jolly Roger · swashbuckler · maroon · keelhaul
Terminated from employment
- terminatedBrought to an end
- oustedRemoved from position
- forced outRemoved against one's wishes
- axedAbruptly dismissed
let go · expelled · ejected · removed · shown the door · given the boot · pushed out · scapegoated
overboard
Off a vessel's deck
buccaneers · deck · captain · crew · cutlass · Jolly Roger · swashbuckler · maroon · keelhaul · privateer
fired
Terminated from employment
- terminatedBrought to an end
- oustedRemoved from position
- forced outRemoved against one's wishes
axed · let go · expelled · ejected · removed · shown the door · given the boot · pushed out · scapegoated · sacrificed