leave someone high and dry
Desert without help
To leave someone high and dry is to abandon them in a difficult situation without help or resources.
The image is of a boat stranded above the waterline, unable to move.
When the funding fell through, it left the whole project high and dry.
He quit without notice and left his coworkers high and dry.
- strandedLeft without means to leave
- hang out to dryLeave vulnerable, unsupported
- helplessUnable to act independently
- forsakeAbandon completely
- throw under the busBetray for self-preservation
marooned · out to sea · desert · alone · left in the cold · lost · adrift · shipwrecked · dead in the water · abandonment · walk away from · ditch · sink or swim · desolate · exposed · thirst · let down · wait
leave someone high and drycome to someone's rescue
Intervene to help another
have someone's back · lend a helping hand · support · help out · look after
leave someone high and drykeep one's word
Honor a commitment made
follow through · come through · deliver the goods · stay true · hold up one's end