Left in the Lurch Comes From a Board Game
To lurch is to stagger suddenly. The idiom about being left in the lurch comes from a losing position in an old French game.
To lurch is to make an abrupt unsteady movement. The phrase *left in the lurch* is a different word altogether: *lurch* there comes from *lourche*, a sixteenth-century French board game in which a player left far behind was said to be in the lurch. Being abandoned in difficulty is a gaming term, not a description of staggering. The staggering verb is nautical in origin, describing a ship's sudden roll.
- To stagger. *The bus lurched forward.*
- A sudden movement. *A violent lurch.*
- Left in the lurch — abandoned in difficulty. *Left in the lurch.*
- Lourche — the French game. *The game of lourche.*
- Lurcher — a crossbred hunting dog. *A lurcher.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | lurch | It lurched. |
| Past | lurched | The ship lurched. |
| Noun | lurch | A sudden lurch. |
| Phrase | in the lurch | In the lurch. |
| Related | lurcher | A lurcher. |
- The train lurched around the bend.Movement.
- They left him in the lurch.Idiom.
- Lourche was a French board game.Etymology.
Idioms from games
- Left in the lurch — from the game of lourche
- Checkmate — from chess, the king is helpless
- Stalemate — also chess, a deadlock
- Hedge your bets — from wagering
- Above board — from keeping hands visible at cards
The staggering verb is of uncertain origin, first nautical. The noun in *left in the lurch* is from French *lourche*, a game.
Where does left in the lurch come from?
From lourche, a sixteenth-century French board game in which a badly losing position was called the lurch.
What is a lurcher?
A dog bred by crossing a sighthound with a working breed, traditionally used for poaching.