go to the wall

Verb

go to the wall (third-person singular simple present goes to the wall, present participle going to the wall, simple past went to the wall, past participle gone to the wall)

1. (idiomatic) To make an all-out effort.
   • He'll be the one who goes to the wall when it's needed.
   • He's always been willing to go to the wall for his friends.
2. (idiomatic) To fail, to run out of options. (especially of a business)
   • While he was doing his stories, and « getting on » in the world, Tevershall was going to the wall.1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter IX, in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [Germany?]: Privately printed, →OCLC, page 125
   • That may be cold comfort for the many import-reliant businesses that have gone to the wall as a result of the rial’s recent plunge of 40% against the dollar [...]2012 October 13, “Iran and its currency crisis: A comeback for the reformers?”, in The Economist
3. (idiomatic) To be put aside or forgotten.
4. (idiomatic) To take an extreme and determined position or measure.