Meaning of ‘take it by the neck’?

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“Take him around the neck” is an English idiom meaning to receive punishment for an improper or reckless action. It implies that the action was a risk taken by the person and often uses the neck as a symbol of vulnerability. Idioms add color and impact to speech.

When someone is about to “take him around the neck”, it means that he will receive some kind of punishment or censure for an action that has been committed. This is an English idiom and often implies that the person described in this way has done something improper or reckless and is paying for that behaviour. It may also be implied that someone who is going to “wrap him around” took an unnecessary chance to do the act that punished him. The idiom is one of many idioms that play on the fact that the neck is one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body.

English speakers commonly use words or phrases that are easily understood by everyone in their culture even when the accepted meanings are very different from what the literal definitions of the words might imply. Such words and phrases are known as idioms, which start out as meaning one thing but often evolve into a meaning that is something quite different. These idioms are useful for those people who want to add some color and impact to their speech. An idiom that is often used when someone is being punished for something is the expression “take him around the neck”.

If this phrase is used, it often means that someone has committed an action they should have avoided at all costs. As a result, there will be consequences for this careless action, such as retribution from some authority figure. For example, someone might say, “I’m going to tease him from my parents for being out so late last night.”

There is also an implication when using this phrase that the action deserving punishment may have been a huge risk taken by the person in question. This person may have been trying to take a chance and get away with something, only to fail in his or her efforts. For example, she considers the statement, “When you go out on a limb and try something like this, don’t be surprised if it goes to your neck as a result.”

Many idioms use the neck as a basis for their meanings. Since the neck is in a place where it can be attacked, it is usually used to represent some level of vulnerability. A similar saying for “get it by the neck” is the phrase “stick your neck out.”




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