walk the plank
Forced maritime exit
Walk the plank is to be forced off a board extended over a ship's side, falling into the sea—a method of execution associated with pirates, though historical evidence for the practice is thin.
The phrase now means facing punishment or dismissal: After the scandal broke, several executives were made to walk the plank.
Portable ship-boarding ramp
- deckShip's flat surface
- shipSeagoing transport vessel
- galleonLarge historical sailing ship
- schoonerMulti-masted sailing craft
sloop · man-of-war · mast · helm · bow · stern · portside · starboard
Caribbean colonial-era pirate
- corsairPirate or pirate ship
- privateerAuthorized civilian warship
- BlackbeardFamous Caribbean buccaneer
- Jolly RogerBuccaneer's standard
mutiny · marooned · treasure · booty · plunder · cutlass · scallywag · shipmate
Completing a planned task
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
- condemnationSevere disapproval expressed formally
- judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
- penaltyPunishment for wrongdoing
retribution · verdict · banishment · coercion · threat · ultimatum · drowning · sharks
Intense anticipatory fear
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
- trepidationFearful uncertainty
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
trembling · pleading · desperation · helplessness · heart-pounding · petrified · doomed · inevitable
gangplank
Portable ship-boarding ramp
schooner · sloop · man-of-war · mast · helm · bow · stern · portside · starboard · anchor
buccaneer
Caribbean colonial-era pirate
- corsairPirate or pirate ship
- privateerAuthorized civilian warship
- BlackbeardFamous Caribbean buccaneer
Jolly Roger · mutiny · marooned · treasure · booty · plunder · cutlass · scallywag · shipmate · captain
execution
Completing a planned task
- sentenceComplete thought, grammatically
- condemnationSevere disapproval expressed formally
- judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
penalty · retribution · verdict · banishment · coercion · threat · ultimatum · drowning · sharks · fate
dread
Intense anticipatory fear
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
- trepidationFearful uncertainty
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
panic · trembling · pleading · desperation · helplessness · heart-pounding · petrified · doomed · inevitable · mercy
- pirate talkahoy, arr, argh, aye, aye aye
- Peter PanPeter Pan, Neverland, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, Wendy
- nautical termsahoy, afloat, aye aye, aye-aye, becalmed
- seafaringship, sailors, ships, sail, sailor
- executionexecution, lethal injection, firing squad, gas chamber, electric chair
walk, walking, plank, walker, walks, planks, walked, walkers, planking