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.

Cite this Entry

“Hold the baby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20the%20baby. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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