Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

leave someone holding the bag

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.44 in modern English

Syllables
leave -some-one hold-ing the bag
IPA
41
Scrabble Score
25
Letters
4
Syllables
14
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To abandon somebody, leaving him or her holding the responsibility or blame.

verb

To remove the value from an article or arrangement and leave somebody holding the empty (or valueless) container.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Originated in 18th-century Britain, referring to a person left holding stolen goods while the rest of a criminal gang escapes.

Inflected Forms

leaves someone holding the bag (present, singular) leaving someone holding the bag (participle, present) left someone holding the bag (participle, past) left someone holding the bag (past)

Frequently Paired Words

bagholder

Synonyms

leave someone in the lurch leave someone holding the baby leave someone high and dry

Questions

What does leave someone holding the bag mean?
To abandon somebody, leaving him or her holding the responsibility or blame.
Where does leave someone holding the bag come from?
Originated in 18th-century Britain, referring to a person left holding stolen goods while the rest of a criminal gang escapes.

How to pronounce leave someone holding the bag

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “leave someone holding the bag”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “leave someone holding the bag”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “leave someone holding the bag” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.