high and dry
/ˌhʌɪ ən ˈdrʌɪ
/1Out of the water, especially stranded by the sea as it retreats: when the tide goes out, a lot of boats are left high and dry...
- By carbon-dating sediments deposited in the lake's spillways or in marshes left high and dry by sudden drops in water, scientists can now chronicle the lake's changing profile.
- Beadlet anemones are found in such shallow water that they are left high and dry at low tide.
- The ark was a refuge until the waters went down, leaving Noah and his menagerie high and dry on Mount Ararat.
1.1Without resources or help: your family would be left high and dry by the death of the breadwinner...
- The 130 people, many sick or elderly, were left high and dry in the French pilgrimage town after their tour operator, Bon Voyage, couldn't provide a plane on Sunday.
- This suggests yet another consequence of the cuts, which is that the women who are employed in the childcare sector will also be left high and dry now that their source of revenue has been seriously attenuated.
- The scale of the crisis will become more evident on Tuesday when the watchdogs deliver their latest report, confirming that 60% of homeowners look set to be left high and dry.
Synonyms
destitute, bereft, helpless, without help, without assistance, without resources, in the lurch, in difficulties, forsaken, abandoned, stranded, marooned
See parent entry: high