Talk:go to the wall

Alternative etymologies
As discussed here: …there are numerous alternative etymologies. My takes: Hope this helps! Nils von Barth (nbarth) (talk) 01:42, 7 December 2008 (UTC)
 * Go to the wall, at The Word Detective
 * the sense of fighting seems most plausible, esp. since there’s also “go to the wall for someone”, and “have one's back to the wall” and “retreat to the wall”
 * churchyard wall seems possible, esp. given that “by the wall” was used metaphorically for ships, but less likely
 * leaning against a church wall seems apocryphal
 * “shooting against a wall” is out, because this predates firing squads