(as) dry as a Pommy's (bath) towel

slang Extremely thirsty. "Pommy" (sometimes spelled "Pommie") is a potentially offensive Australian term for a British person, and this expression mocks their perceived subpar bathing habits. Primarily heard in Australia. Can I get some water, mate? I'm dry as a Pommy's bath towel. We were as dry as a Pommie's towel after working out in the sun all day, so we all went to the pub for a pint.

an early bath

A premature departure from some sport or activity, as due to troublesome behavior. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. Take an early bath, Edwards! I don't tolerate illegal hits on my playing field! All right, that's it, you both can take an early bath! The rest of us don't have time for your nonsense during practice. Coach told me to take an early bath after I punched that jerk on the other team.

bloodbath

1. A devastating massacre characterized by cruel, indiscriminate killings. Soldiers descended on the defenseless village, leaving a bloodbath in their wake. If we can't get ahold of more munitions, it'll be a bloodbath when the enemy group descends upon our camp. If people back home find out about this bloodbath of innocent villagers, it will tank any support for the war effort.

2. By extension, complete and thorough defeat; an instance of total, ruthless domination. The Broncos defeated the Patriots in a 48–3 bloodbath. The election became something of a bloodbath for the party, as their opponents claimed 78 of the 80 available seats in Congress. I'm not surprised the game was dull—I feel like that happens every time the commentators predict a bloodbath.

3. An instance of severe loss or failure. Used especially in reference to economics. The US stock market suffered another bloodbath today, as prices continued to plunge amid reports of political instability. The board of directors warned shareholders that the company would be bracing for an earnings bloodbath this quarter. Whenever our programming goes up against the Super Bowl, we know we're in for a ratings bloodbath.

couldn't run a bath

Couldn't manage or direct someone or something. The phrase puns on the word "run," which means both to manage a place or group and, in the context of a bath, filling the bathtub with water. Why in the world did they promote David to manager? That guy couldn't run a bath! A: "Did you hear that Sam got promoted to General Manager?" B: "You've got to be kidding me! That guy couldn't run a bath!" A: "Our elected officials haven't gotten anything major accomplished." B: "Oh, those fools couldn't run a bath. I've lost all faith in them."

don't throw the baby out with the bath

proverb Do not discard something valuable or important while disposing of something worthless. Why are we scrapping the entire project? Come on, don't throw the baby out with the bath! Look, just because the program needs to be reformed doesn't mean we should dismantle it all together. Don't throw the baby out with the bath, and all that. Yes, some changes need to be made, but don't throw the baby out with the bath—we've got a solid foundation here.

don't throw the baby out with the bathwater

proverb Don't discard something valuable or important while disposing of something worthless. Why are we scrapping the entire project? Come on, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Look, just because the program needs to be reformed doesn't mean we should dismantle it all together. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, and all that. Yes, some changes need to be made, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater—we've got a solid foundation here.

See also: baby, bathwater, out, throw

draw a bath

To fill a bathtub with water before bathing. After this crazy week at work, I can't wait to get home, draw a bath, and just relax. My husband drew a bath for our daughter while I helped her get out of her clothes. Could you draw a bath for the VIP guest? Thank you so much.

run a bath

To fill a bathtub with water before bathing. After this crazy week at work, I can't wait to get home, run a bath, and just relax. My husband ran a bath for our daughter while I helped her get out of her clothes.

take a bath

1. Literally, to bathe in a bathtub. A: "Remember that the kids need to take a bath tonight." B: "Yep, I'm filling up the tub now."

2. To bathe, not necessarily in a bathtub. I got really dirty, so I'll need to take a bath before we go. I'll just hop in the shower when I get home.

3. To experience or accumulate a large financial loss on a transaction or investment. Often followed by "on (something)." Millions of the company's investors took a bath when the CEO resigned and its stock began plummeting. A lot of stores started stocking huge numbers of the gimmicky fad toy, but now they're taking a bath on it as public interest evaporates.

See also: bath, take

take a bath on (something)

To experience or accumulate a large financial loss on a transaction or investment. A lot of stores started stocking huge numbers of the gimmicky fad toy, but now they're taking a bath on it as public interest evaporates. Millions of the company's shareholders took a bath on their investment when the CEO resigned and its stock began plummeting.

take an early bath

1. To be sent to the sidelines or the locker room in a game by one's coach. Primarily heard in UK. The keeper had already allowed three goals before he took an early bath in the first half of the game.

2. To fail or experience an insurmountable setback before or very early on in a competition. Primarily heard in UK. The rising political star has taken an early bath ahead of the elections after making several racist and misogynistic claims to a local newspaper. I ended up taking an early bath when my carburetor blew out shortly after the race began.

throw out the baby with the bathwater

To discard something valuable or important while disposing of something considered worthless, especially an outdated idea or form of behavior. The phrase is often used in the negative as a warning against such thoughtless behavior. Why are we scrapping the entire project? Come on, don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. The main reforms of the movement were desperately needed, but I'm afraid we threw out the baby with the bathwater in many cases.

See also: baby, bathwater, out, throw

throw the baby out with the bath

To discard something valuable or important while disposing of something considered worthless, especially an outdated idea or form of behavior. The phrase is often used in the negative as a warning against such thoughtless behavior. Why are we scrapping the entire project? Come on, don't throw the baby out with the bath. The main reforms of the movement were desperately needed, but I'm afraid we threw the baby out with the bath in many cases.

throw the baby out with the bathwater

To discard something valuable or important while disposing of something considered worthless, especially an outdated idea or form of behavior. The phrase is often used in the negative as a warning against such thoughtless behavior. Why are we scrapping the entire project? Come on, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. The main reforms of the movement were desperately needed, but I'm afraid we threw the baby out with the bathwater in many cases.

See also: baby, bathwater, out, throw

tonsil bath

dated slang A drink of liquor, especially whiskey. Sore throat, eh? Best thing for that is a tonsil bath. After a hard day of work, we all head to the bar together to get some tonsil baths.

vertical bath

slang A very long, leisurely shower. You need to stop wasting hot water in there. You're supposed to be getting clean, not taking a vertical bath!

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Prov. Do not discard something valuable in your eagerness to get rid of some useless thing associated with it. Jill: As long as I'm selling all the books Grandpa had, I might s well sell the bookcases, too. Jane: Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. You can use the bookcases for something else.

See also: baby, bathwater, out, throw

take a bath (on something)

Sl. to accumulate large losses on a business transaction or an investment. (Alludes to getting soaked, a slang expression meaning "being heavily charged for something.") Sally took a bath on that stock that she bought. Its price went down to nothing. I'm afraid that I will take a bath on any investment I make.

See also: bath, take

throw the baby out with the bath(water)

Fig. to dispose of the good while eagerly trying to get rid of the bad. (Fig. on the image of carelessly emptying a tub of both the water inside as well as the baby that was being washed.) In her haste to talk down a project that had only a few disagreeable points, she has thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Hasty action on this major spending bill will result in throwing out the baby with the bath.

take a bath

Experience serious financial loss, as in The company took a bath investing in that new product. This idiom, which originated in gambling, transfers washing oneself in a bathtub to being "cleaned out" financially. [Slang; first half of 1900s]

See also: bath, take

throw out the baby with the bath water

Discard something valuable along with something not wanted. For example, I know you don't approve of that one item in the bill but we shouldn't throw out the baby with the bath water by voting the bill down . This expression, with its vivid image of a baby being tossed out with a stream of dirty water, is probably translated from a German proverb, Das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten ("Pour the baby out with the bath"). It was first recorded in English in 1853 by Thomas Carlyle, who translated many works from German.

throw the baby out with the bath water

If someone throws the baby out with the bath water, they reject an idea completely, even though some parts of it are good. Even if we don't necessarily like the whole scheme, we're not going to throw the baby out with the bath water. In rejecting traditional values, they have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.

an early bath

BRITISH

If a football or rugby player has an early bath, they are sent off the pitch before the end of the game, because they have broken the rules. When it is a midfield player who takes an early bath, the impact is almost zero. Ref Graeme Allison had no hesitation in sending the 16-year-old for an early bath. Note: In football and other sports, players who are sent off cannot return to the field and so can take a bath before the game is finished.

take a bath

JOURNALISM

If a person or a company takes a bath, they lose a lot of money on an investment. It is America's third-biggest bank failure and its stockholders have taken a bath. Investors in the company took a 35 million dollar bath on the company, which entered bankruptcy proceedings 18 months ago.

See also: bath, take

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

throw the baby out with the bathwater

discard something valuable along with other things that are inessential or undesirable.

This phrase is based on a German saying recorded from the early 16th century but not introduced into English until the mid 19th century, by Thomas Carlyle . He identified it as German and gave it in the form, ‘You must empty out the bathing-tub, but not the baby along with it.’

1998 New Scientist It is easy to throw out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to UFO books—there are some seriously bad titles out there.

See also: baby, bathwater, out, throw

take a bath

suffer a heavy financial loss. informal

1997 Bookseller When the yen drops in value, as it is doing right now, we take a bath. There is no way to change the prices fast enough.

See also: bath, take

take an early bath

1 be sent off in a game of football or other sport. 2 fail early on in a race or contest. informal

The allusion is to the bath or shower taken by players at the end of a match.

2 1992 Bowlers' World Defending champion Dave Phillips took an early bath losing all his three opening qualifying games.

throw the ˌbaby out with the ˈbathwater

(informal) lose something that you want at the same time as you are trying to get rid of something that you do not want: It’s stupid to say that the old system of management was all bad; there were some good things about it. The baby was thrown out with the bathwater.

See also: baby, bathwater, out, throw

take a ˈbath

(American English, informal, business) lose a lot of money, for example on a business agreement or an investment: Big investors sold their shares before the price crashed, but small investors took a bath. OPPOSITE: make, etc. a mint (of money)

See also: bath, take

take a bath (on something)

tv. to have large financial losses on an investment. The broker warned me that I might take a bath if I bought this stuff.

take a bath

verb

See take a bath on something

See also: bath, take

tonsil bath

n. liquor; a drink of liquor. I could use a little tonsil bath about now.

take a bath

Informal

To experience serious financial loss: "Small investors who latched on to hot new issues took a bath in Wall Street" (Paul A. Samuelson).

See also: bath, take

throw the baby out with the bath water

Slang

To discard something valuable along with something not desired, usually unintentionally.

take a bath, to

To experience a major financial loss; also, to fail miserably. This slangy cliché dates from the first half of the twentieth century and originated in gambling. It transfers cleaning oneself in a tub to being cleaned out (see take to the cleaners). It appeared in BusinessWeek on October 27, 1975: “Our profits won’t make up for the bath we took last fall and winter.” In the alternative sense, the University of Tennessee’s newspaper, the Daily Beacon, stated, “As . . . Sen. Robert Dole put it, the GOP ‘took a bath’ in elections for the U.S. House” (Nov. 4, 1982).