stick one's neck out, to
stick one's neck out (for someone or something)
Fig. to take a risk. Why should I stick my neck out to do something for her? What's she ever done for me? He made a risky investment. He stuck his neck out for the deal because he thought he could make some big money.
See also: neck, out, stick
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
stick one's neck out
Make oneself vulnerable, take a risk, as in I'm going to stick my neck out and ask for a raise. This expression probably alludes to a chicken extending its neck before being slaughtered. [Colloquial; early 1900s]
See also: neck, out, stick
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
stick (one's) neck out
Informal To make oneself vulnerable; take a risk.
See also: neck, out, stick
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
stick one's neck out, to
To take a bold risk; to ask for trouble. This early twentieth-century Americanism most likely comes from the barnyard, where a chicken extends its neck in preparation for slaughter (by decapitation). Raymond Chandler used it in The Black Mask (1936): “You sure stick your neck out all the time.”
See also: neck, stick
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- neck and neck
- by a hair
- by a nose
- by an eyelash
- do something by a whisker
- by a whisker
- take the checkered flag
- take the chequered flag
- win, lose, etc. by a short head
- by a short head