hand someone his head

English

Alternative forms

• hand someone his head on a plate
• hand someone his head on a platter

Etymology

Possibly an allusion to the story of Salome demanding the head of John the Baptist in a charger.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

hand someone his head (third-person singular simple present hands someone his head, present participle handing someone his head, simple past and past participle handed someone his head)

1. To kill, especially by beheading. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
2. (idiomatic, by extension) To destroy; to defeat utterly.

See also

• give someone his head