hold the baby

idiom

British, informal
: to be given all of the blame or responsibility that should be shared with others
His friends ran away and he was left holding the baby.

Examples of hold the baby in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At the end of the clip, the emotional aunt contains her excitement enough to hold the baby. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2024 The hospital did not address why the couple could not hold the baby in its statement. Claretta Bellamy, NBC News, 17 Aug. 2023

Cite this Entry

“Hold the baby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20the%20baby. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!