Work & careers
pull the rug out from under someone
suddenly remove support
To pull the rug out from under someone is to suddenly remove their support or security, or disrupt their plans in a way that leaves them unprepared.
Hear it in real life
How did she react to the cancelled contract?
She felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under her.
Losing our main investor pulled the rug out from under the new business.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: The decision pulled the rug ‸ under us.
Say: The decision pulled the rug out from under us.
Learners may omit “out from” when recalling the full idiom.
Build it
How it fits in a sentence.
pull the rug out from under someone; have the rug pulled out from under someone
Your turn: say it out loud
Losing our main investor pulled the rug out from under the new business.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
pull the rug out from under someone
suddenly remove support
“Losing our main investor pulled the rug out from under the new business.”
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