come to a sticky end en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(UK, idiomatic) To die unpleasantly due to one's actions.
Newbery in England and Isaiah Thomas in the U.S.A. insisted that their books for children were of a high moral tone. Children had to be good in order to escape from hell, and most bad children came to a very sticky end.
1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 139:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| came to a sticky end | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| meet a sticky end | alternative | lexicographic | |
| coming to a sticky end | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| come to a sticky end | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| comes to a sticky end | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |