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)

: axiom

: axis