nail someone to the wall

nail (one) to the wall

To punish, berate, or hurt one in a very severe fashion for a wrongdoing or transgression. As one of her first orders of business, the new president has sworn to nail cyber-criminals to the wall. The boss nailed me to the wall for messing up the Jacobson account.See also: nail, wall

nail someone to the wall

INFORMALIf someone nails you to the wall, they make you suffer, because they are very angry with you. If he could not pay off his debt, they would nail him to the wall.See also: nail, someone, wall

nail someone to the wall

verbSee nail someone to a crossSee also: nail, someone, wall