desert to

desert (someone or something) to (someone or something)

To leave or abandon someone or something to someone or something else. We can't desert Timmy to his grandmother—you know that vile woman can't be trusted! In order to pay the mortgage on my manse, I had to desert several of my jewels to auction.
See also: desert
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

desert someone or something to someone or something

to abandon someone or something to someone or something; to let someone or something have someone or something. Who deserted this child to her horrible fate? Sam deserted his land to the horde of grubby prospectors.
See also: desert
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • desert (someone or something) to (someone or something)
  • fence (someone or something) off from (something)
  • can't do anything with
  • can't do anything with (someone or something)
  • get (someone or something) out of (one's) mind
  • get out of mind
  • can't get enough (of something)
  • hold a candle to, cannot/not fit to
  • dorky
  • yellow dog
References in classic literature
"In the first place," said the General, "we cannot march across the deadly desert to the Land of Oz.
"One of my spies, who is a Blackbird, flew over the desert to the Land of Oz, and saw the Magic Belt in Ozma's palace," replied the King with a groan.
I'll make a secret tunnel under the desert to the Land of Oz--yes!
Indeed, Ozma and Dorothy had both almost forgotten that such a person as the Nome King yet lived under the mountains of the Land of Ev--which lay just across the deadly desert to the south of the Land of Oz.
The Emerald City of Oz
"What I'd like," said Dorothy, "is to find some way to cross the desert to the Land of Oz and its Emerald City.
The Road to Oz
It was quite evident that he was coming down into the desert to hunt.
The Return of Tarzan
Seed broadcast is an excellent conservation technique to restore desert to its original form.
Seed broadcast in Cholistan for growing indigenous flora as feed for Houbara Bustard
Elion Resources Group (ELION) was founded in 1988; the long-term commitment from the desert to the city's ecological environment restoration, the core business is the restoration of ecological environment, clean energy, and financial industries.
Elion Resources Group
The company is looking to pump as much as 16.3B gallons of groundwater a year and pipe it across the desert to sell to cities in Southern California, the paper adds.
California district rejects Cadiz water project, Desert Sun reports
Many others who will be staying in the Kingdom are most likely to head to the desert to camp for a few days.
Keeping our desert clean
Sonoran (North America) Desert is the only desert to have the maximum number of animal and plant species.
Desert Land of Silent Beauty
The Western Australia Mallee shrub lies to the west, the Little Sandy Desert to the northwest, the Gibson Desert and the Central Ranges xeric shrub lands to the north, the Tirari and Sturt Stony deserts to the east, and the Nullarbor Plain to the south separating it from the Southern Ocean.
DESERTS IN THE WORLD
In which direction would you travel if you were to journey from the Taklamakan Desert to the Garagum Desert?--
All dried up
In "Desert to Dream: A Decade of Burning man Photography", Barbara Traub has compiled a collection that represents and presents a photographic record of a decade of Burning Man celebrations at the Black Rock Arts Festival held annual in the dry alkali flats of northwest Nevada's Black Rock Desert which runs for about a week and culminates over the Labor Day weekend.
Desert To Dream
Try an overnight safari in the desert to see isolated villages, camel farms and the Hajar mountains in the distance.
Desert luxury: a burgeoning oasis, Dubai is the new "in" place for the vacationing CEO