high and dry—
1. (of a stranded ship) cast on the shore:
- The small Mexican brig which had been cast away in a south-easter … now lay up, high and dry.
2. in a helpless or abandoned position:
- Millions of old people were left high and dry during periods of economic decline.
3. (U.S. diners) a plain sandwich without butter, mayonnaise, or lettuce:
- Keep your kids’ sandwiches high and dry. Pack the filling and the bread in separate baggies for easy lunchroom assembly.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase home and dry—(UK coll.) definitely safe or successful:
- The governments will not be home and dry until they have completed the ratification process.
high-dried —(of fish, etc.) deprived of most of its moisture by drying:
- There were brown beers made by a new type of brown malt known as “high dried malt.”
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase cut and dried—(of a decision, arrangement, etc.) completely decided; fixed beforehand:
- Assuming that everything was now cut and dried, I talked to Richard but he said he was still unsure about committing himself.