Echar a alguien a los pies de los leones
To throw someone at the feet of the lions.
to throw someone to the lions; **to throw someone to the lions**; **to throw someone to the wolves**; **to leave someone to fend for themselves**; **to hang someone out to dry**; **to sacrifice someone**
Echar a alguien a los pies de los leones means to expose someone to severe criticism, public hostility or a very dangerous situation, often without offering any support.
Lo echaron a los pies de los leones.
They threw him to the lions.
No pienso echarte a los pies de los leones.
I'm not going to throw you to the wolves.
El portavoz fue enviado a la rueda de prensa y lo echaron a los pies de los leones.
The spokesperson was left to face the hostile press alone.
Sintió que lo habían echado a los pies de los leones.
He felt that he had been hung out to dry.
It usually implies unfair treatment or betrayal.
- is left alone to face criticism
- becomes the scapegoat
- is forced to defend themselves without support
- is exposed to an aggressive audience
- is sacrificed to protect others
The image comes from the ancient Roman arenas, where people were sometimes condemned to face wild animals.
Whether historically accurate in every detail or not, the metaphor became deeply rooted in European culture as a symbol of abandoning someone to certain danger.
Spanish preserves this powerful image to describe situations in which a person is deliberately left without protection.
The expression almost always carries a negative judgement.
It suggests that the person who "throws someone to the lions" has acted unfairly or cowardly by protecting themselves at another person's expense.
Spanish has several expressions describing abandonment:
- Echar a alguien a los pies de los leones → to throw someone to the lions.
- Dejar en la estacada → to leave someone in the lurch.
- Pagar el pato → to become the scapegoat.
Among them, echar a alguien a los pies de los leones is the strongest, because it suggests deliberately exposing someone to hostile attacks while offering no protection.
Unlike many Spanish idioms, English has a nearly identical expression:
- to throw someone to the lions
Even more common in modern English is:
- to throw someone to the wolves
Other natural translations include:
- to hang someone out to dry
- to leave someone to fend for themselves
Choose the version that best fits the context.
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