THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE
Throw the baby out with the bathwater
Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.
01 / UNDERSTAND
Meaning in plain English
Lose something valuable while trying to remove what is unwanted.
02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT
The expression in a sentence
- Scrapping the whole course because of one weak unit would throw the baby out with the bathwater.
03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Quick idiom quiz
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Can you recall the expression?
Complete the example using the expression from this lesson.
Scrapping the whole course because of one weak unit would ________.
Show the answer
Throw the baby out with the bathwater — Lose something valuable while trying to remove what is unwanted.
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Make it yours
Write one sentence using “Throw the baby out with the bathwater” about your own life.
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Does your sentence match this meaning?
Lose something valuable while trying to remove what is unwanted.
Compare: Scrapping the whole course because of one weak unit would throw the baby out with the bathwater.
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More ways to understand and use it
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When to use it
Use this expression when a change risks discarding good features along with bad ones. It is useful in discussions of revisions, routines and policies.
More examples in context
- Let’s keep the useful tools so we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.
- They threw the baby out with the bathwater when they removed the successful activities as well as the unpopular ones.
Usage note
The past tense is “threw” and the past participle is “thrown”. This is figurative; it warns against losing the useful parts of something during a clear-out or reform.
A short conversation
A: Shall we replace the entire programme?
B: That could throw the baby out with the bathwater. Several sessions work very well.
A: Then let’s identify what actually needs changing.
One more practice question
Which revision throws the baby out with the bathwater?
A. Replacing only the weak lessons while keeping the useful ones.
B. Removing excellent lessons together with the few that need replacing.
Check your answer
B. Valuable material is lost alongside the unwanted parts.
Related lessons
Meaning and usage checked against Cambridge Dictionary. Explanations, examples and conversation are original.