Meaning of leave someone holding the baby | Babel Free

Definitions

To abandon someone and put them in a position where they must take the responsibility or blame.

idiomatic

Examples

“He said he was very uneasy as the schooner owner owed him over $500 and he couldn't get a cent and feared that the owners had gone bankrupt and left him holding the baby.”

“This statement might sound lame, but operations and network management will try to squeeze everything into one domestic home firewall hanging off a small DSL line. Then they will leave you holding the baby.”

“With many of these seized goods auctions condition is everything and I would recommend that, having checked out the goods online, you go to the auction house and view the lots. You will not only get to see the goods themselves but you can find out a lot about the auctioneers themselves. They may be well-established businesses but others could be fly-by-nights and gone the next morning, leaving you holding the baby.”

CEFR level