off with someone's head

UK/ˈɒf wɪð ˈsʌmwənz ˈhɛd/US/ˈɔf wɪθ ˈsʌmwənz ˈhɛd/

phrase

Used to express a desire to kill the person in question.

“Some nerve! Off with their heads! shouted the master of ceremonies with mock ferocity, while the audience laughed.”

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Meanings

phrase
  1. humoroususuallyUsed to express a desire to kill the person in question.

    Some nerve! Off with their heads! shouted the master of ceremonies with mock ferocity, while the audience laughed.

    1 more example

    "I see!" said the Queen, who had meanwhile been examining the roses. "Off with their heads!" and the procession moved on, three of the soldiers remaining behind to execute the unfortunate gardeners, who ran to Alice for protection. "You shan't be beheaded!" said Alice, and she put them into a large flower-pot that stood near.

    1866, Lewis Carroll, “Chapter 8: The Queen's Croquet-Ground”, in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland^(https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland_(1866)/Chapter_8), Macmillan and Company

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
lose one's head

Origin

From the common use in past times of decapitation as a method of execution for prominent persons.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

off with someone's head. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off%20with%20someone's%20head

MLA

“off with someone's head.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off%20with%20someone's%20head. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “off with someone's head,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off%20with%20someone's%20head.

Source: off with someone's head on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.