drop like a hot potato
Abruptly let go
To drop something like a hot potato is to abandon it abruptly and completely, as if holding it any longer would cause harm.
The phrase suggests urgent self-protection—distancing yourself from something that has become dangerous, embarrassing, or inconvenient: When the scandal broke, his allies dropped him like a hot potato.
- dropFall or release
- quitCease doing something
- abandonLeave behind permanently
- forsakeAbandon completely
- cast asideReject or discard
throw overboard · leave high and dry · bail out · run for the hills · shun · cold shoulder · discard · cut loose · relinquish · cut ties · walk away · back away · turn tail · reject · disown · eschew · renounce · wash one's hands of