be put up against the wall—said of smb. about to be executed by shooting:
- His appeal was turned down…. The day came round and he was put up against the wall to be shot.
be up against the wall—(also: have one’s back against the wall) have run out of options; be pushed to the last extremity:
- When I was up against the wall and couldn’t pay my bills, I knew I had to do something.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase come up against a blank wall—(also: come up against a brick wall) encounter an insurmountable obstacle or difficulty:
- We come up against a blank wall. There is a total unwillingness to hear our side of the story.