twist in the wind

Idioms  

1. Be abandoned to a bad situation, especially be left to incur blame, as in The governor denied knowing it was illegal and left his aide to twist in the wind. It is also put as leave twisting in the wind, meaning “abandon or strand in a difficult situation,” as in Sensing a public relations disaster, the President left the Vice-President twisting in the wind. This expression, at first applied to a President's nominees who faced opposition and were abandoned by the President, alludes to the corpse of a hanged man left dangling and twisting in the open air. [Slang; early 1970s] Also see out on a limb.

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Example Sentences

But because the authorities did not resolve her case before the Olympics began, her reputation has been left to twist in the wind.

From New York Times • Feb. 11, 2022

More than seven months after the first lockdowns, American small businesses have been left to twist in the wind.

From Slate • Oct. 26, 2020

Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 15, 2008—left to twist in the wind by Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 9, 2018

Without him there to ground the Crane brothers’ flights of fancy, there’s a good chance that the Frasier reboot will twist in the wind.

From The Guardian • Jul. 26, 2018

I was watching a dry leaf swirl and twist in the wind and she suddenly appeared.

From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani