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hang out to dry

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Legal, Encyclopedia 0.01 sec.
hang someone out to dry
Fig. to defeat or punish someone. The boss was really angry at Billie. He yelled at him and hung him out to dry.
See also: dry, hang, out

hang somebody out to dry
to get someone into trouble, especially by making them take the blame for a bad situation When the department got into difficulties, his bosses simply hung him out to dry.
See also: dry, hang, out

hang somebody out to dry
to not support or help someone After losing the election, the party is going to hang him out to dry.
Etymology: based on the practice of hanging an animal that has been killed in a tree so its meat can dry
See also: dry, hang, out


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