to put to the horn
Preserved but no longer current.
To denounce as a rebel, or pronounce a person an outlaw, for not answering to a summons. In Scotland the messenger-at-arms used to go to the Cross of Edinburgh and give three blasts with a horn before he proclaimed judgment of outlawry.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to put to the horn” mean?
To denounce as a rebel, or pronounce a person an outlaw, for not answering to a summons. In Scotland the messenger-at-arms used to go to the Cross of Edinburgh and give three blasts with a horn before he proclaimed judgment of outlawry.
Is “to put to the horn” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.