IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishleave someone out in the cold
Meaning: To shun someone; to exclude someone from a place or activity.
Example: “The new rules leave part-time workers out in the cold.”
Equivalents in other languages
Dutch: buiten de boot vallen Literally: To fall outside the boat
Origin: The image is of someone left outside a warm house while others enjoy the fire inside. The phrase for being excluded or neglected is recorded from the 19th century.
More English idioms
- lock, stock and barrel Everything; the entirety.
- the long and short of it The outcome; the point.
- look like death warmed over To look/feel ill or exhausted.
- look sharp To look neat and stylish; also, to hurry or be alert.
- lose one's cool To become angry.
- lose one's temper To become suddenly angry. To hold one's temper means to remain calm when irritated.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Más vale ser cabeza de ratón que cola de león It is better to lead something small than to be a minor part of something big.
- Quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta Take on too much and you will do none of it well.
- La gatta frettolosa fece i gattini ciechi Doing things in a hurry leads to poor results.
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