high and dry

Idioms and Phrases

Stranded, as in They walked out on the party, leaving me high and dry . This expression originally alluded to a ship that had run aground or was in dry dock. Its figurative use dates from the late 1800s.

Example Sentences

The old high-and-dry party and the evangelical party combined to bring out Mr. Round.

From Project Gutenberg

The plain high-and-dry men distrusted him as what they called a sophist.

From Project Gutenberg

Imagine all this overlaid with a certain portliness of bearing, suggestive of the high-and-dry Oxford scholar.

From Project Gutenberg

Queerest of all, he used to be a very high-and-dry Tory in his opinions.

From Project Gutenberg