Another couple that we still use, most probably without having a clue as to what they really mean, are:

1. "hoist by his own petard" -- a petard was a small charge used to light the charge that would set off a cannon. If the operator did not get out of the way fast enough after setting the charge, he would be sent into the air by the exposion of his own petard.

2. "hold someone's feet to the fire" -- (I actually cannot bring myself to use this metaphor ever since I discovered its origin/meaning.) During the Inquisition, an oft used means of torture was to literally hold the soles of the accused's bare feet against a flame until they would "confess" in order to get the pain to stop.    It was not about making someone follow through on a promise or work hard to accomplish a goal or accept responsibility; it was torture, plain and simple, employed to obtain a pre-ordained response.