bite the hand that feeds you

Idioms  

1. Show ingratitude, turn against a benefactor. For example, The college gave me a scholarship, so I shouldn't bite the hand that feeds me and criticize its hiring policies. Used about 600 b.c. by the Greek poet Sappho, this metaphor of a dog biting its master was first recorded in English in 1711.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bite the hand that feeds you

To Gay, it also felt like Garcia was betting against her own team and had violated the cardinal rule of reality TV: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2024

“Every artist is understandably nervous to bite the hand that feeds you, even if it doesn’t feed you much,” Hunt said.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 14, 2022

Some protesters held placards reading ‘No farmer, no food’ and ‘don’t bite the hand that feeds you’.

From Reuters ● Jul. 16, 2021

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you if it’s a winning hand.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 8, 2019

"Just remember: it's never smart to bite the hand that feeds you!"

From Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X by Victor [pseud.] Appleton

Related Words

• abandon
• deceive
• forsake
• mislead
• seduce