leave someone holding the bag
The phrase "leave someone holding the bag" originates from a scam where a person was left with an empty bag, believing it contained valuable items. It is now used to describe situations where someone is unfairly burdened with responsibility or blame.
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Definition
B2General
(informal)To abandon someone, making them solely responsible for a problem or negative outcome.
Example
- When the project failed, his partners disappeared and left him holding the bag.
B2General
(informal)To unfairly place the blame or burden on someone else.
Example
- They left her holding the bag when the deal went south.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "leave someone holding the bag":
fumble the bagbe left at the postbag outbag and baggagewalk away withdraw the short straw