put a gun to someone's head

English

Alternative forms

• hold a gun to someone's head

Pronunciation

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Verb

put a gun to someone's head (third-person singular simple present puts a gun to someone's head, present participle putting a gun to someone's head, simple past and past participle put a gun to someone's head)

1. (idiomatic) To compel someone (to do something); to create a situation in which someone has no alternative course of action.
   • 1988 February 28, “The Region: D'Amato Strays, Willfully, From New York Party Line”, in New York Times, retrieved 27 November 2018:

     Richard Rosenbaum had deferred to Mr. D'Amato in leading the Dole effort in the state, but Mr. D'Amato delayed organizing it until, as Westchester County legislator Tim Carey put it, "Dole put a gun to his head."

   • 2004 September 23, Carol D. Leonnig, “Tobacco Industry Admits Mistakes”, in Washington Post, retrieved 27 November 2018:

     "[T]o say the industry hasn't changed is to ignore reality," Yerrid said. "Now, they changed because we put a gun to their head, not because they're nice people and wanted to change."

   • 2007 December 21, Rebecca Smith, “Gordon Brown 'to force GPs to work evenings'”, in Telegraph, UK, retrieved 27 November 2018:

     "They have effectively put a gun to our head and said if we don't accept their proposal they will impose a more Draconian contract."

   • 2013 January 6, Peter Mandelson, “Cameron's absurd behaviour over EU membership”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 27 November 2018:

     The prime minister . . . will be disappointed if he thinks he can put a gun to their heads to begin renegotiating Britain's EU membership and then dictate when it will end.