IdiomDaily Life
French
FrenchJeter le bébé avec l'eau du bain
Meaning: To discard something valuable while getting rid of what's unwanted.
Literally: To throw the baby out with the bathwater
Example: “Le logiciel a des défauts, mais le remplacer entièrement, ce serait jeter le bébé avec l'eau du bain.” — The software has flaws, but replacing it entirely would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
English equivalent: To throw the baby out with the bathwater
Equivalents in other languages
English: Origin: Traced to a 16th-century German proverb (das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten) warning against carelessly tossing out something precious along with the trash — French and English both borrowed the same image.
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