heads will roll
Some people will be fired for incompetence.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The project failed, so heads will roll tomorrow.”
“Heads will roll if the kitchen staff fails the health inspection again.”
“Heads will roll because the team missed the most important deadline of the year.”
“After the company lost millions due to the accounting error, the manager warned that heads will roll.”
“When the secret documents were leaked to the press, the president promised that heads will roll in the security department.”
“The store lost a lot of money during the holiday sale, and now everyone fears that heads will roll.”
“The director made it clear that heads will roll if the department does not improve its performance by the end of the quarter.”
The phrase originates from the imagery of a head rolling upon the ground following a decapitation. It refers specifically to the practice of execution as a legal punishment for a criminal act. The idiom preserves the physical aftermath of the guillotine or the axe, though the consequence is now typically restricted to the loss of one's employment rather than one's anatomy.
- 01
bang one's head against a brick wall
To waste effort on a futile project.
- 02
bang some heads together
Attempt to get results from a previously ineffectual or argumentative group, typically by coercion or force.
- 03
bash someone's head
To beat up someone violently.
- 04
big head
An inflated ego, an exaggerated belief in one's own importance.
- 05
bite someone's head off
To severely berate someone.
- 06
blow someone's head off
To shoot someone in the head.
- 07
bury one's head in the sand
To deliberately ignore the reality of a situation; to pretend a problem does not exist.
- 08
butt heads
To argue uncompromisingly.
Last updated August 10, 2026