Any of the mechanical figures that come out regularly to strike the bell of a clock.

(transitive, slang, Britain) To fire (an employee); to end a relationship with someone; to reject someone.

(idiomatic) The situation in reality as opposed to in the abstract. / (literally) Some aspects of the situation in a particular location.

(idiomatic, followed by a clause) Thinking or making assumptions, often incorrectly.

(US, idiomatic) immediately, from the very outset.

(of a defeated army) To be humiliated by the victors.

(of a person, idiomatic) Old, past the prime of life.

(idiomatic) Very angry or upset and eager for confrontation.

(golf) Any accidental deflection of the ball by an outside agency (spectator, caddie etc); the ball is played without penalty from where it comes to rest

(idiomatic) At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.