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Throw Someone Under The Bus

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An idiomatic phrase meaning to selfishly betray, blame, or sacrifice an associate to avoid personal hardship or protect oneself.

Detailed Definition
The modern image is brutally public: one person pushes another beneath a vehicle to escape blame. In poetry, it can expose workplace politics, wartime betrayal, or intimate abandonment. The bus becomes a machine of collective motion, carrying everyone forward while one body bears the consequences of a decision made by those who remain safely aboard.
Example
Example in poetry:
The frightened court poet refuses to throw the messenger under the bus for the king’s mistake; In the poem, the general throws his youngest soldier under the bus to protect his own reputation; A speaker who blames her sister for the broken vase is trying to throw someone under the bus; The crowded office becomes a stage where each character tries to throw someone under the bus
Additional Notes
This phrase describes shifting blame or abandoning an ally to avoid consequences. It is usually negative and suggests selfish betrayal, especially at work or in politics. Related expressions include scapegoat and save one’s own skin.
Also Known As
Throw Someone To The Wolves Make Someone The Scapegoat
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