ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dance on nothing

idiom
Meaning

To be hanged.


Examples
SIMPLE

The thief feared he would dance on nothing by morning.

CONTEXTUAL

The judge sentenced the prisoner to dance on nothing for his crimes against the crown.

COMPLEX

The condemned man walked toward the gallows, knowing that within the hour he would dance on nothing before the gathered crowd.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    come to nothing

    To fail completely; to have no result.

  2. 02

    dance attendance

    To wait obsequiously (on or upon someone).

  3. 03

    dance of the seven veils

    A striptease performance.

  4. 04

    dance on someone's grave

    To celebrate a person's death or downfall triumphantly.

  5. 05

    dance with the devil

    To engage in risky and immoral behavior.

  6. 06

    fan dance

    The incremental disclosure of tantalizing bits of information.

  7. 07

    here goes nothing

    Indicates a lack of confidence or certainty about the activity about to be tried.

  8. 08

    hiding to nothing

    A situation in which victory has little or no value, but defeat has a huge cost.

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