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leave someone holding the bag. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
leave someone holding the bag, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
leave someone holding the bag in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
leave someone holding the bag you have here. The definition of the word
leave someone holding the bag will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
leave someone holding the bag, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Originated in 18th-century Britain, referring to a person left holding stolen goods while the rest of a criminal gang escapes.
Verb
leave someone holding the bag (third-person singular simple present leaves someone holding the bag, present participle leaving someone holding the bag, simple past and past participle left someone holding the bag)
- (figuratively) To abandon somebody, leaving him or her holding the responsibility or blame.
After the accident, he just vanished and left me holding the bag.
- (figuratively) To remove the value from an article or arrangement and leave somebody holding the empty (or valueless) container.
Synonyms
Translations
leave somebody holding the responsibility or blame