hang out to dry

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

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)

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To abandon someone who is in need or in danger, especially a colleague or one dependent.

   Synonym: leave someone hanging

   • 1989, Kurt Cobain (lyrics and music), “About a Girl”, in Bleach, performed by Nirvana:

     I'll take advantage while / You hang me out to dry

   • 2008 March 7, Joe Fiorito, “Our home-care system hangs families out to dry”, in Toronto Star‎^[1], archived from the original on 2 December 2008:

     Without supplemental health insurance, we would have been hung out to dry.

   • 2011 January 25, Clare McNeil, “Don't hang young people out to dry”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN:

     It's hard to avoid the conclusion that young people are being hung out to dry.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hang,‎ out,‎ dry.

Usage notes

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

Translations

abandon someone in need

• Arabic: أن تترك شخصا في حاجة:
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 遺棄／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: laisser en plan (fr)
• German: im Regen stehen lassen, hängenlassen
• Italian: stendere per asciugare
• 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 (pt)
• Russian: оста́вить на произво́л судьбы́ (ostávitʹ na proizvól sudʹbý)
• Spanish: desamparar (es)

See also

• twist in the wind
• hang out
• leave someone high and dry