chew up and spit out
Consume then discard
To chew up and spit out someone is to treat them harshly, exploit them, then discard them: Hollywood chews people up and spits them out.
The image is of consuming something only to reject it as worthless.
Systems, industries, or powerful people do this to those who pass through: The corporate world will chew you up and spit you out if you let it.
- throw under the busBetray for self-preservation
- wear outDeteriorate through use
- put through the wringerHarshly tested or questioned
- dominateControl through superior strength
- run roughshod overDominate without consideration
defeated · beaten down · cast aside · left for dead · overwhelmed · exploit · grind · ground up · humiliated · broken-hearted · torn apart · jaw · rejected · victimize · demoralized · masticating · abandoned · chomp