throw the baby out with the bathwater
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /θɹəʊ ðə ˈbeɪbi aʊt wɪð ðə ˈbɑːθwɔːtə(ɹ)/
  • (GA) IPA: /θɹoʊ ðə ˈbeɪbi aʊt wɪð ðə ˈbæθwɔtɚ/
Verb

throw the baby out with the bathwater

  1. (idiomatic) To discard, especially inadvertently, something valuable while in the process of removing or rejecting something unwanted.
    They cancelled the entire project because the new management didn't like the prototype, but I think they threw the baby out with the bathwater.
Translations
  • French: jeter le bébé avec l’eau du bain
  • German: das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten
  • Italian: buttare il bambino con l'acqua sporca
  • Portuguese: jogar fora o bebé com a água do banho (Portugal), jogar fora o bebê com a água do banho (Brazil)
  • Russian: выплеснуть ребёнка вме́сте с водо́й



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