throw the baby out with the bathwater en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /θɹəʊ ðə ˈbeɪbi aʊt wɪð ðə ˈbɑːθwɔːtə(ɹ)/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /θɹoʊ ðə ˈbeɪbi aʊt wɪθ ðə ˈbæθwɔtɚ/ (General-American)
Etymology
Calque of German das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten, a proverb first recorded by Thomas Murner in his satire Narrenbeschwörung (1512). First appeared in English when Thomas Carlyle translated it in an essay on slavery (1849).
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) To discard, inadvertently or through overzealousness, something valuable or essential ("the baby") in the process of removing or rejecting something unwanted or undesirable ("the bathwater").
They cancelled the entire project because the new management didn't like the prototype, but I think they threw the baby out with the bathwater.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| throwing the baby out with the bathwater | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| threw the baby out with the bathwater | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| throw out the baby with the bath water | alternative | lexicographic | |
| throws the baby out with the bathwater | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| thrown the baby out with the bathwater | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| throw out the baby with the bathwater | alternative | lexicographic | |
| throw the baby out with the bath water | alternative | lexicographic |
Translations (24)
pl wylać dziecko z kąpielą ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · cs vylít vaničku i s dítětem ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · nb kaste barnet ut med badevannet ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · fr jeter le bébé avec l'eau du bain ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · is að kasta barninu út með baðvatninu ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · it buttare il bambino con l'acqua sporca ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · de das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · nn slå ut barnet med badevatnet ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · ru вме́сте с водо́й вы́плеснуть и ребёнка ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · da smide barnet ud med badevandet ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · nb slå barnet ut med badevannet ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · ga an t-asal a dhíol leis an adhastar ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · sv kasta ut barnet med badvattnet ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · he שפך את התינוק עם המים ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · da kaste barnet ud med badevandet ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · fi heittää lapsi pois pesuveden mukana ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · pt jogar fora o bebê com a água do banho ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · nb helle barnet ut med badevannet ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · ru вы́плеснуть ребёнка вме́сте с водо́й ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · pt deitar fora a criança com a água do banho ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · nl het kind met het badwater weggooien ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · fi heittää lapsi pesuveden mukana ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · hu a fürdővízzel együtt a gyereket is kiönti ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted) · pl wylewać dziecko z kąpielą ((idiomatic) to discard the valuable along with the unwanted)