stick one's neck out


stick (one's) neck out

To personally assume or expose oneself to some risk, danger, or responsibility; to imperil oneself or put oneself in harm's way. Look, I'm sticking my neck out for you here. I could get fired if they find out what we're up to! You have to take some risks to be successful in business and in life, but don't stick your neck out for no good reason.See also: neck, out, stick

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

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