be left twisting in the wind

To be left to deal with the fallout of a very difficult, troublesome, or problematic situation. We were really left twisting in the wind when our project manager decided to take her vacation right before the project's deadline! The government made the sudden decision not to continue funding the aid program, and many residents across the country have been left twisting in the wind as a result. Tom said he'd help me with this repair, but I was left twisting in the wind when his ex-girlfriend suddenly came back to town.