throw to the lions

English

Alternative forms

• feed to the lions
• toss to the lions

Verb

throw to the lions (third-person singular simple present throws to the lions, present participle throwing to the lions, simple past threw to the lions, past participle thrown to the lions)

1. (transitive, figuratively) To place someone in a difficult situation for which they are completely unprepared.

Translations

Translations

• Finnish: jättää oman onnensa nojaan (fi), heittää leijonille
• French: jeter aux lions, donner en pâture (fr)
• Polish: rzucić lwom na pożarcie pf

See also

• throw to the dogs
• throw to the wolves

Further reading

• “throw someone to the lions”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “throw sb to the lions”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “throw to the lions” (US) in Macmillan English Dictionary.