Posted by Bob on November 15, 2000
In Reply to: Re: "Get the axe" posted by ESC on November 15, 2000
: : I know "get the axe" means to be fired or eliminated from employment, but who knows the derivation of this phrase?
: I couldn't find this phrase in my reference books. But it seems obvious to me that it refers to a tree being cut down. A tree is "felled." An employee is fired.
Unless it's the executioner's axe we're speaking of.... just as final, but more vivid.