Dictionary

go to the wall en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From a fight or military retreating until they cannot escape; see have one's back to the wall and retreat to the wall doctrine in common law.

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To make an all-out effort.
   • That was the one point he was willing to go to the wall on.
   • He'll be the one who goes to the wall when it's needed.
   • He's always been willing to go to the wall for his friends.
2. (idiomatic) To fail, to run out of options. (especially of a business)
   • While he was doing his stories, and « getting on » in the world, Tevershall was going to the wall. 1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter IX, in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [Germany?]: Privately printed, →OCLC, page 125:
   • That may be cold comfort for the many import-reliant businesses that have gone to the wall as a result of the rial’s recent plunge of 40% against the dollar [...] 2012 October 13, “Iran and its currency crisis: A comeback for the reformers?”, in The Economist:
3. (idiomatic) To be put aside or forgotten.
4. (idiomatic) To take an extreme and determined position or measure.

Forms

Relateds

balls to the wall · have one's back to the wall · up against the wall · go to the mat · retreat to the wall