be left (out) in the cold
To be ignored, forgotten, or excluded, as from a group, activity, benefit, etc. You have to make sure you stand out in a company, or you might be left in the cold when it comes time to hand out promotions. Our constituency feels it has really been left in the cold during the debate around this topic. Why has my team been left out in the cold, huh? We contributed so much to this project, yet we haven't even been acknowledged publicly!
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