Throw someone under the bus means sacrificing another person to save yourself: The manager threw his assistant under the bus to protect his own reputation. It's a strong accusation of betrayal. Pointing out someone's mistake isn't the same thing: the point is protecting yourself at someone else's expense.
When would you say throw someone under the bus?
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throw + person + under the bus; threw; thrown
- The manager threw his assistant under the bus to protect his own reputation.
- I will explain the mistake without throwing anyone under the bus.
- She felt that her teammates had thrown her under the bus after the failed presentation.
What changed
First versionHe threw under the bus his colleague to avoid the blame.
RevisionHe threw his colleague under the bus to avoid the blame.
Many phrasal verbs let the object move to the end, as in throw away the box, so threw under the bus his colleague can look fine. But here the person goes right after throw: threw his colleague under the bus. Move his colleague.
Blame someone means accusing them, and the blame may be fair. Throw someone under the bus means shifting blame to save yourself: I will explain the mistake without throwing anyone under the bus. Betray means any kind of betrayal, not necessarily in public.
Your turn
Use the idiom for sacrificing another person to protect yourself: He threw his teammate ___ the bus.
Show the answer
under — You throw someone under the bus. Below means lower down and isn't part of the idiom.
Describe a time at work or school when someone shifted the blame onto another person to save themselves. Use throw someone under the bus.
The director threw the new employee under the bus rather than admit that the instructions had been unclear.
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