be left holding the baby
(redirected from are left holding the baby)be left holding the baby
To be abandoned and burdened with the blame or responsibility of something; to be made to deal with something because no one else is willing to participate or be held accountable. The CEO vanished when the police started investigating our questionable investment activity, and I was left holding the baby! John and the boys decided to go to the bar when it came time to clean up after the party, so the other wives and I were left holding the baby.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
be left holding the baby
BRITISHIf you are left holding the baby, you are made responsible for a problem that nobody else wants to deal with. If anything goes wrong on this, Agnes, it's you and I who'll be left holding the baby. More often than he liked, Taylor was left holding the baby. Note: The usual American expression is be left holding the bag.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
be left holding the baby
be left with an unwelcome responsibility, often without warning.A US variant of this expression is be left holding the bag .
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
- (one) could use (something)
- (I) wouldn't (do something) if I were you
- (one) never would have guessed
- (one) doesn't give a rip (about something)
- all right
- (one) doesn't give a hoot (about something)
- a/the feel of (something)
- (one) won't hear of (something)
- a straw will show which way the wind blows
- (one's) heart is set on (something)