twist in the wind

To have been left in a very difficult, troublesome, or problematic situation, often to receive punishment or blame. "Slowly" can be added between "twist" and "in" for further emphasis. You really left us twisting in the wind when you decided to take your vacation right before the project's deadline! The government's sudden decision not to continue funding the program has left many residents twisting slowly in the wind.

Fig. to suffer the agony of some humiliation or punishment. (Alludes to an execution by hanging.) I'll seeyou twist in the wind for trying to frustrate this investigation. The prosecutor was determined that Richard would twist slowly in the wind for the crime.

Be abandoned to a bad situation, especially be left to incur blame, as in The governor denied knowing it was illegal and left his aide to twist in the wind. It is also put as leave twisting in the wind, meaning "abandon or strand in a difficult situation," as in Sensing a public relations disaster, the President left the Vice-President twisting in the wind . This expression, at first applied to a President's nominees who faced opposition and were abandoned by the President, alludes to the corpse of a hanged man left dangling and twisting in the open air. [Slang; early 1970s] Also see out on a limb.

If someone twists in the wind or swings in the wind, they are in a difficult situation that they cannot control for a long period, usually because of something that someone else has done. The court case that had been planned to start in April 2004 was abandoned, leaving the parents concerned twisting in the wind. Note: You can also say that someone swings in the wind. Critics accused the Prime Minister of leaving the minister swinging in the wind and insist that he should back him or sack him. Note: Other verbs such as hang or turn are sometimes used instead of twist and swing. `I didn't want to leave them hanging in the wind,' Johnson said of his team-mates.

Be abandoned; be exposed to blame or severe criticism. This slangy term alludes to the body of a hanged man left dangling in the air, and indeed twisted was slang for “hanged” in the 1700s. In modern times the phrase was initially used by John Ehrlichmann in 1973, when it was applied to President Nixon’s withdrawal of support for his own nominee in the face of strong opposition, who was then left to “twist in the wind.” It has since been applied to similar situations and is on its way to clichédom. Also see out on a limb.