If you throw someone to the wolves, you’ve given him or her over to a terrible fate or abandoned him/her. For example: “The manager threw his employee to the wolves to save his own skin.” In this instance, a person is sacrificed by another to save his/her job. Another popular way to express this sentiment is to say, “threw his employee under the bus.”

The term “throw to the wolves,” popularized in the early part of the 20th century, is inspired by one  of Aesop’s fables. Interestingly, the fable has a far different moral and meaning than the phrase we use today.

Similar references include “throw to the lions” and “throw to the dogs.”

This subject was inspired by #WerewolfWednesday, which I hold each week on my Facebook page.

Also see:

• Wolf down
• Keep the wolves at bay
• Lone Wolf
• Cry Wolf
• Keep the wolf from the door
• Wolf in sheep’s clothing

Humans have a long and sordid history with wolves. As I explore these phrases, I’ll note that much of the danger of wolves is mythology. Wolf fact can be found here.