Gives the sack is a phrase used to describe the act of firing someone from their job. The two crossword solutions for this phrase are AXES and CANS. AXES is a reference to the phrase 'axing someone, ' which is another way of saying firing them. CANS is a reference to the phrase 'give someone the boot, ' which is another way of saying firing them. Both phrases are used to describe the same action, which is to terminate someone's employment.