pull the rug out (from under someone)

dejar a alguien tirado, retirar el apoyo de golpe

• Management pulled the rug out from under the team by cancelling the project.
• Just as negotiations were closing, the investor pulled the rug out from under us.
• She felt betrayed when her friend pulled the rug out from under her during the debate.

This idiom is used to describe situations where support is suddenly withdrawn, leaving someone in a difficult position. It's informal and often appears in spoken language and casual writing, such as opinion pieces.

A common mistake is to translate the Spanish 'dejar a alguien tirado' directly as 'leave someone lying'. This version fails to convey the idea of suddenly withdrawing support. The correct approach is to use 'pull the rug out from under someone' in English.

• go against the grain
  ir a contracorriente
• have your cake and eat it
  querer la chancha y los veinte, todo a la vez
• burn (your) bridges
  quemar las naves, cerrar puertas
• preaching to the choir
  predicar a los conversos