bleeds dry
Depletes every resource
To bleed someone or something dry is to drain them completely of resources, usually money.
The image comes from the old medical practice of bloodletting taken to a fatal extreme.
A corrupt official might bleed the treasury dry, or predatory lending can bleed a family dry.
The phrase emphasizes exploitation that continues until nothing remains.
The lawsuit fees bled the small business dry.
- depleteGreatly reduce supply
- bloodBody's oxygen carrier
- exploitNotable act or abuse
- cash cowDependable income source
- driedStripped of moisture
drain · extort · sap · wring · milk · impoverish · empty · diminish · vampire · abuse · leech · exhaust · parasitic · overwork · consume · erode · strain · squander