What is meant by the idiom “to leave in the lurch”?

What is the meaning and origin of the idiom ‘left in the luch’? (P Keshav, Madurai)

‘Lurch’ rhymes with ‘church’, ‘search’ and ‘tow’. The word comes from the French “lourche”, a board game played with dice that was popular in Europe – especially France – in the 16th century. Today, very little is known about the game – not even the rules. He appears to have died of natural causes by the end of the 17th century. The only reason we remember the game is because of the expression “leave it in the lurch”. When someone was in the game when they were “in tow” it meant they were in a terrible position – likely to be beaten by a wide margin. In other words, the person will be beaten. Over time, the idiom changed to “leave in a tizzy” and began to be used in everyday contexts. Today, when you say someone left you in the lurch, it has nothing to do with winning or losing a game. It means that the person who promised you support will leave you at a time when you need it most. An individual has promised to help you, and when you find yourself in a difficult situation, the individual chooses to disappear – you are left in a very unpleasant situation. You are betrayed by someone you depended on.

The builder was left in the lurch when fifty of his workers left him.

Seema was left in the lurch when the chef decided to take a day off on the day of the big party.

which one is correct? Ravi was sitting on a chair or Ravi was sitting on a chair? (Malini Nayar, Kochi)

Both sentences are grammatically acceptable; which mat you choose will depend on the type of chair you are sitting on. If a chair has arms on either side, then you would normally say “I am sitting on the chair”. If you have no arms and nothing to restrict your movement, you say “sit in a chair.” Similarly, you “sit” on the ground or floor. You are “sitting in a car/plane/bus/train” because you are in an enclosed space. However, you are “sitting on a bicycle/motorcycle/horse”.

Be careful, sit on that chair. One of the arms is broken.

The chair I sat in the restaurant was very comfortable.

How do you pronounce the word “upset”? (Neeta Mathur, Kolhapur)

The word consists of two syllables; the first sounds like ‘dis’ in ‘disrupt’ and ‘distance’, while the second syllable rhymes with ‘caught’, ‘bought’ and ‘fought’. The word is pronounced ‘dis-TRAUGHT’ with the stress on the second syllable. It comes from lat

‘distrahere’ means ‘drawn in different directions’. Today, the word is mostly used to mean to be terribly angry. When you are agitated, you are so worried or nervous about something that you are unable to think clearly. And what happens when you are unable to think clearly? Your mind begins to be ‘drawn in different directions’.

The star player was upset when he missed a penalty in the final minutes.

We were all upset when we heard the shocking news!

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Published – 22 Jun 2026 08:30 IST