leave someone in the lurch
leave (one) in the lurch
To leave or abandon one without assistance in a particularly awkward, difficult, or troublesome situation. The manager will really leave me in the lurch if he decides to quit before this project is finished. When Janet's husband decided to go on a weekend getaway with his friends, he left her in the lurch organizing her kid's birthday party.
See also: leave, lurch
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
leave someone in the lurch
COMMON If someone leaves you in the lurch, they put you in a difficult situation by suddenly going away or stopping helping you. My secretary left me in the lurch last month and I haven't found a replacement yet. The airline has shut down, leaving thousands of ticket holders in the lurch. Note: In the card game cribbage, a player is left in a position known as the lurch when an opponent has scored 51 points before the player has managed to either score 31 points or move their peg around the first corner of the board that is used to keep the score.
See also: leave, lurch, someone
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
leave someone in the lurch
leave an associate or friend abruptly and without assistance or support when they are in a difficult situation.Lurch as a noun meaning ‘a state of discomfiture’ dates from the mid 16th century but it is now used only in this idiom.
1987 Eileen Dunlop The House on the Hill What have Gilmores ever done but leave her in the lurch? Poor Jane, she just can't run the risk of being hurt again.
See also: leave, lurch, someone
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
- leave (one) in a lurch
- leave (one) in the lurch
- leave in the lurch
- leave somebody in the lurch
- leave in the lurch, to
- on the way out
- on the/(one's) way out
- be on the way out
- Can I/we have the bill?
- Can I/we have the check?