on the block

1. . Offer for sale, as in These paintings will all be put on the block . This usage alludes to the auction block, the platform from which the auctioneer sells, so called since the mid-1800s.

2. put one's head on the block . Take a great risk, make oneself vulnerable, as in I'm not going to put my head on the block just to save her reputation . This usage alludes to the executioner's block, on which victims are beheaded, so called since the mid-1500s.

Example Sentences

Mr Findlay says that's an argument deployed by parties "who are very afraid that their vote is in decline and that some new kid on the block could start to muscle in on their territory".

From BBC

Oksana Rumpik, 54, and her husband Mykhailo survived the missile strike on the block of flats, but their gold-coloured Volvo car was hit by shrapnel.

From BBC

When they arrived, officers learned that two residents on the block had been victims of a home invasion robbery.

From Los Angeles Times

Quinilla, who lives in North Hollywood, has worked on the block for several years, and has three children — ages 15, 17, and 18 — according to her mother.

From Los Angeles Times

“People are crazy about pit bulls. Guys have these nice, big fancy houses, and there is always a pit bull in the back. And everyone wants to have the biggest, baddest dog on the block.”

From Los Angeles Times