People who aren’t loyal to something, especially an enterprise and leave it before things get worse

Etymology:

  • The phrase originated in 16th. There used to be a Myth among sailors that if rats start to jump off a ship, even if the ship is tied at the port, that’s an omen of an expected disaster with the ship. This phrase is now used to describe unfaithful and disloyal individuals who abandon something because they think that something bad is coming.
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They’re just like rats abandoning a sinking ship because they think that the company wouldn’t be able to succeed in future.

Submitted on February 25, 2019

Translation

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Ratten, die ein sinkendes Schiff verlassen

topi che abbandonano una nave che affonda

沈没船を放棄するネズミ

mures inclusi naufragio

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    "Rats Abandoning a Sinking Ship." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/rats-abandoning-a-sinking-ship_44978>.

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