The Italian expression “to leave in the lurch” it is commonly used to describe the act of abandoning someone suddenly and without warning, leaving them in a situation of difficulty or uncertainty. The origins of this way of speaking are debated and could have their roots in both Greek mythology (with reference to Ariadne who was abandoned by Theseus in Nass0) than in interpretations linked to card game.
The possible mythological origin of the expression “to leave in the lurch”
The most fascinating hypothesis on the origin of the expression “to leave in the lurch” is linked to the myth of Ariadne and Theseusone of the most famous stories of Greek mythology. Ariadne, daughter of the king of Crete Minos, fell in love with Theseus, an Athenian prince who came to Crete to kill the fearsome Minotaura half-man, half-bull creature trapped in the labyrinth designed by the architect Daedalus. Ariadne, eager to help Theseus and escape from her father’s tyranny, provided the young man with a ball of thread – the famous “Ariadne’s thread” – which would allow him to find his way out of the labyrinth after killing the monster. Theseus kept his promise: he defeated the Minotaur and together with Ariadne fled from Crete.
However, on the return trip, the two stopped on the island of Naxos (Today Naxosin the Aegean Sea). And it is here that the legend takes a dramatic turn: according to the most accredited version, Theseus, for reasons never fully clarified, abandoned Ariadne while she slept. When the young woman woke up, she found herself completely alone, planted “in Naxos”. Pain and desperation overwhelmed her, but the myth says that she was later consoled by the god Dionysuswho arrived on the island and took her as his wife, making her a deity.
The connection with the expression “walking away” is based on the assonance between “Nasso” (the island) and “ace” (the playing card). Over time, popular pronunciation and oral transmission may have led to the transformation of the expression da “planting in Naxos” to “to leave in the lurch”. Although the original meaning referred to abandonment on the island, its evolution has strengthened the sense of isolation and loneliness.
The interpretation of the saying linked to the card game
Another explanation associates the expression “walk away” with the world of card or dice games. In many games, the ace represents the lowest rank or solitary card. “Leaving someone alone” would therefore mean leaving someone “alone as an ace”, that is, abandoned and without support. This interpretation is supported by several etymological dictionaries of the Italian language like that of Manlio Cortelazzo And Paolo Rozzior of They got Pianigianiwhich connect the expression to the concept of leaving someone with the lowest point in the game, therefore in an unfavorable position. The expression also occurs in other languages, including German which takes up an equivalent concept with im Stich lassen «leave on the dot».
Evolution and uses of the expression “walk away”
It is possible that both origins contributed to the formation and use of the expression in common language. The transformation from “plantare in Naxos” to “plantare in ace” could have occurred through phonetic assimilation, where the ‘n’ of “in” joined the following vowel, making pronunciation easier. Furthermore, the association with the ace as a solitary card may have strengthened the use of the expression in the sense of abandoning someone suddenly.
According to what was reported by DELIthe first documented occurrence of the expression “leave in the lurch” it goes back to comedy The Lucid Ones of the Florentine Agnolo Firenzuolawritten in 1543, where we read: “who left the poor Lady in the lurch without giving her anything back”. On the side of GDLIinstead, the version “to leave in the lurch” appears for the first time in the novella The devil’s tail Of Giovanni Vergaincluded in the collection Spring and other stories of 1876.
