throw someone a rope
verb1
Idiomatic To rescue someone by providing them with help, such as material aid, financial aid, a face-saving excuse, or a clue.
- Near-synonyms: save someone's life, save someone's skin, save someone's bacon, pull someone's bacon out of the fire, give someone a hand, lend a hand, bail someone out
- He's out there making a fool of himself. Someone should throw him a rope.
1 more example
- Throw me a rope On the rolling tide What did you want it to be? You said it's him or me The way you made it That's the way it will be2011, Gillian Welch, “The Way It Will Be”, in The Harrow & the Harvest, performed by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings:
2
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: to rescue someone from drowning by tossing a rope for them to grab onto and be dragged to safety.
- He's out there fighting the riptide. We need to throw him a rope.
- Related terms
- give someone enough rope, life buoy, lifesaver