hang out to dry

English

Verb

hang out to dry (third-person singular simple present hangs out to dry, present participle hanging out to dry, simple past and past participle hung out to dry)

Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see hang,‎ out,‎ dry.
(transitive, idiomatic) To abandon someone who is in need or in danger, especially a colleague or one dependent.
- 2008, Joe Fiorito, "Our home-care system hangs families out to dry," Toronto Star, 7 Mar. (retrieved 23 Aug. 2008),
  Without supplemental health insurance, we would have been hung out to dry.

Usage notes

Often carries an element of betrayal of someone who might have expected protection or assistance.

Synonyms

(abandon): leave someone hanging

Translations

abandon someone in need

Arabic: please add this translation if you can:
Chinese:
Mandarin: 遺棄 (zh), 遗弃 (zh) (yíqì), 把某人坑苦了 (bǎ mǒurén kēngkǔ le), 使某人處於困難, 使某人处于困难 (shǐ mǒurén chǔyú kùnnan)
Finnish: jättää oman onnensa nojaan (fi)
French: please add this translation if you can:
German: im Regen stehen lassen
Italian: please add this translation if you can:

Japanese: please add this translation if you can:
Korean: please add this translation if you can:
Polish: zostawić kogoś na lodzie
Portuguese: deixar na mão
Russian: оста́вить на произво́л судьбы́ (ostávitʹ na proizvól sudʹbý)
Spanish: desamparar (es)

See also

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