throw to the wolves, to
throw to the wolves, to – To abandon or deliver something or someone to a terrible fate. This term comes from Aesop’s fable about a nurse who threatens to throw her charge to the wolves unless the child behaves better. She never intends to carry out her threat, so the wolf waits in vain for its prey. It is the idea of sacrificing someone that survived in the cliché, as, for example, in Clarissa Cushman’s mystery I Wanted to Murder (1941): “She was his wife. He couldn’t throw her to the wolves.”
Synonyms:
- Abandon
- Sacrifice
- Betray
- Forsake
Antonyms:
- Rescue
- Protect
- Support
- Defend
Related Expressions:
- Betrayal: Deceiving someone who trusts you.
- Fall guy: Someone who is blamed for the mistakes of others.
- Knife in the back: To betray someone.
- Under the bus: Similar to “throw to the wolves,” to sacrifice someone for convenience or self-preservation.
Humorous Quotes:
“When life hands you wolves, throw in some bacon. Everyone loves bacon.” — W. T. Wittywords
Notable Proverbs:
“A friend in need is a friend indeed.” — This might be what you get from a few good friends if you’re not keen on tossing them wolf-ward.
References in Literature:
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London - Quoting a different kind of struggle for survival, the wild can indeed ’throw one to the wolves’ quite literally.
- Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault - While not quite being ’thrown to the wolves,’ young Red had her fair scare with one.
Suggested Literature, Books, Songs, Poetry, and Movies:
- The Road by Cormac McCarthy - A father’s persistence in protecting his son in a post-apocalyptic world.
- “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran - A hungry temptation, quite fitting of the wolfish theme.
- Delivery from the Wolves (fictitious title) by Ivy L. Literatti - An inspiring fictional narrative that flips the idiom on its head.
Inspirational Farewell Thought:
“Sometimes in life, being thrown to the wolves brings forth the inner Alpha in us. Embrace the challenge and discover the strength you never knew you had.”
