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price on someone's head. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
price on someone's head, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
price on someone's head in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
price on someone's head you have here. The definition of the word
price on someone's head will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
price on someone's head, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From the earlier punishment of beheading criminals. The usage of this idiom began in the mid-1700s.
Pronunciation
Noun
price on someone's head
- (idiomatic) A compensation for capturing or killing someone, especially a criminal.
The police put a price on his head after he killed four innocent women.
2005 February 6, Howard Tayler, Schlock Mercenary, archived from the original on 7 December 2023:"The price on our respective heads has more zeros in it than Pearl Harbor in 1941. Certainly there are safer places to 'get out.'"
References
- Christine Ammer (1997–2013) “price on someone's head”, in American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.