hang out to dry en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(idiomatic, transitive) To abandon someone who is in need or in danger, especially a colleague or one dependent.
Without supplemental health insurance, we would have been hung out to dry.
2008 March 7, Joe Fiorito, “Our home-care system hangs families out to dry”, in Toronto Star, archived from the original on 02 Dec 2008:It's hard to avoid the conclusion that young people are being hung out to dry.
2011 January 25, Clare McNeil, “Don't hang young people out to dry”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:I'll take advantage while / You hang me out to dry
1989, Kurt Cobain, “About a Girl”, in Bleach, performed by Nirvana:
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hang, out, dry.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hung out to dry | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| hung out to dry | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| hangs out to dry | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| hanging out to dry | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Relateds
throw under the bus · hang out · leave someone high and dry · twist in the wind
Synonyms
Translations (15)
es desamparar (abandon someone in need) · pt deixar na mão (abandon someone in need) · he נטש בעת צרה (abandon someone in need) · fi jättää oman onnensa nojaan (abandon someone in need) · pl zostawić na lodzie (abandon someone in need) · de hängenlassen (abandon someone in need) · cmn 遺棄 /遗弃 (abandon someone in need) · pl zostawiać na lodzie (abandon someone in need) · fr laisser en plan (abandon someone in need) · it stendere per asciugare (abandon someone in need) · cmn 把某人坑苦了 (abandon someone in need) · ar أن تترك شخصا في حاجة (abandon someone in need) · ru оста́вить на произво́л судьбы́ (abandon someone in need) · de im Regen stehen lassen (abandon someone in need) · cmn 使某人處於困難 /使某人处于困难 (abandon someone in need)