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desert a sinking ship
desert a sinking ship
and leave a sinking shipFig. to leave a place, a person, or a situation when things become difficult or unpleasant. (Rats are said to be the first to leave a ship that is sinking.) I hate to be the one to desert a sinking ship, but I can't work for a company that continues to lose money. There goes Tom. Wouldn't you know he'd leave a sinking ship rather than stay around and try to help?
desert a sinking ship
Abandon a failing enterprise before it is too late. For example, After seeing the company's financial statement, he knew it was time to desert a sinking ship . This metaphoric expression alludes to rats, which leave a vessel when it founders in a storm or runs aground so as to escape drowning. It was transferred to human behavior by about 1600.
Common Names:
Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
Izumi | | ee-zoo-mee | Japanese |
Shirou | | shee-ṙo: | Japanese |
Bertrand | | ber-TRAWN (French), BUR-trənd (English) | French, English, Ancient Germanic |
Maxentius | | - | Ancient Roman |
SiÔN | | SHON | Welsh |
Mcghee | | [mə'gi:] | |