high and dry
Marooned without help
High and dry describes being stranded or abandoned, left without resources or assistance.
The phrase comes from ships left aground when the tide recedes—literally high on the shore and dry.
When the funding fell through, we were left high and dry.
It can also describe being sober or abstinent from alcohol: I've been high and dry for six months now.
Left stranded and helpless
- beachedStuck on land
- stuckUnable to move
- groundedStable and realistic
- shipwreckedStranded by maritime disaster
aground · landlocked · isolated · cut off · trapped · immobilized · helpless · adrift
marooned
Left stranded and helpless
shipwrecked · aground · landlocked · isolated · cut off · trapped · immobilized · helpless · adrift · castaway
forsaken
Completely abandoned or discarded
- desertedLeft behind, uninhabited
- left behindAbandoned or forgotten
- jiltedAbruptly rejected romantically
ditched · dumped · betrayed · discarded · neglected · forgotten · rejected · cast aside · disowned · stood up
- sea idiomsall at sea, dead in the water, smooth sailing, sink or swim, miss the boat
- Nautical Idiomsbatten down the hatches, all hands on deck, smooth sailing, three sheets to the wind, in the same boat
- nautical phrasesahoy, aye aye, smooth sailing, yo ho ho, all hands
- pairspair, pairs, two, duo, duos
high and dryrescued
Freed from danger
bailed out · saved · supported · taken care of · looked after
high and dryset up
Prepare or establish
taken care of · sitting pretty · in clover · flush · equipped
high and dryafloat
Supported by water
at sea · seaworthy · floating · waterborne · under sail
high, dry, height, highly, highlight, higher, highest, upgrade, dryness