high and dry

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high and dry

adjective

  1. not comparable Left out of water, stranded on a beach, or in the stocks for repair, or in dry dock.
  2. idiomatic, not comparable Abandoned, stranded, helpless.

    Similar: deserted, forsaken, abandoned, derelict, desert, desolate, discarded, dropped, forlorn, high and dry, left behind, orphaned

  3. derogatory, idiomatic, not comparable Associated with the high church (the Church of England and other Anglican traditions, in reference to their "high" political position in England and "dry" and austere mode of worship), as opposed to the "low and slow" Evangelical party and the "broad and shallow" Broad Church. "There are two recognized parties in the church of England, the old High-and-dry church party, and the so-called Evangelical. To one or other of these two the Anglo-Catholic must conform."
  4. US, idiomatic, not comparable, slang, of a sandwich With no condiments.

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MLA

"high and dry." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/high%20and%20dry. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

high and dry. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/high%20and%20dry

Chicago

"high and dry." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/high%20and%20dry.

BibTeX
@misc{high_and_dry_2026,
  title = {high and dry},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/high%20and%20dry},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}