walked the gangplank
Pirate's forced exit
Walked the gangplank describes being forced to walk off a narrow board extending from a ship into the sea—the fate supposedly imposed on captives by pirates.
The phrase now means being forced out of a position, especially a job, often by pressure rather than choice: After the scandal, the CEO walked the gangplank.
The image suggests public humiliation and no way back.
- pirateMaritime thief or bootlegger
- Jolly RogerBuccaneer's standard
- betrayalBreaking of trust
- shipSeagoing transport vessel
- coercionPressured compliance through threats
no mercy · fear · punishment · mutiny · reckoning · defiance · bravery · last words · inevitability · blindfold · despair · surrender · ocean · fate · resignation · waves · Davy Jones · maritime law