give (someone) the ax

: to make a present of

: to grant or bestow by formal action

: to accord or yield to another

: capacity or tendency to yield to force or strain : flexibility

: the ability of a material to bend or stretch

: some person : somebody

: a cutting tool that consists of a heavy edged head fixed to a handle with the edge parallel to the handle and that is used especially for felling trees and chopping and splitting wood

: a hammer with a sharp edge for dressing (see ¹dress 6e) or spalling stone

: removal from office or release from employment : dismissal

: to shape, dress (see ¹dress 6e), or trim with an ax

: to chop, split, or sever with an ax

: to remove abruptly (as from employment or from a budget)