pull the rug out from under
Remove crucial support
To pull the rug out from under someone is to suddenly remove their support or undermine their position, leaving them off-balance or without resources they were counting on: Just when the project was gaining momentum, the board pulled the rug out from under us by cutting funding.
The image is of someone standing on a rug that gets yanked away.
- betrayViolate a trust
- stab in the backTreachery against an ally
- snookerCue sport with reds
- blindsidingSurprising with sudden impact
- undermineWeaken by stealth
bait and switch · move the goalposts · disrupt · sabotage · pull the plug · deceive · unsettle · destabilization · leave high and dry · left in the lurch · backstabbing · throw under the bus · treachery · unseat · subvert · duplicity · interference · disloyalty
pull the rug out from undersupport
To uphold or sustain
stand behind · prop up · have someone's back · back up · shore up
pull the rug out from underphase out
End something incrementally
wean off · taper off · telegraph · let down easy · prepare the ground
pull the rug out from underkeep one's word
Honor a commitment made
stay true · stand firm · come through · stick by · be faithful