Throw under the bus
Encyclopedia
To throw under the bus is an idiom
atic phrase meaning to sacrifice another person (often a friend or ally), who is usually not deserving of such treatment, out of malice or for personal gain.
The phrase has been widely popularized by sports journalists since 2004 and was picked up by the mainstream media during the 2008 primary season. It has frequently been used to describe various politicians distancing themselves from unpopular or controversial figures. David Segal, a writer for The Washington Post
, calls the expression "the cliché
of the 2008 campaign
."
In a March 2008
NPR
report, the linguist Geoff Nunberg noted that ‘under the bus’ "has appeared in more than 400 press stories on the campaign over the last six months."
character Harry pushed his friend Monk in front of a bus, and then stole Monk's wallet while Monk lay unconscious and probably dying in the street. After taking the wallet, Harry went directly to a bar and, using Monk's money, bought himself two double whiskeys. Later, Harry went to the Groton Steak House and, again using Monk's money, bought two beers and two Porterhouse steaks with fries ("go easy on the grease").
Another relative early use is attributed by the Double-Tongued Dictionary to a 1991 article in the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph.
Cyndi Lauper
http://www.newsweek.com/id/124292 is sometimes wrongly quoted as saying in the The Washington Post
in 1984: "In the rock ’n’ roll business, you are either on the bus or under it. Playing ‘Feelings’ with Eddie and the Condos in a buffet bar in Butte is under the bus." However, those lines were written by journalist David Remnick
and they are not attributed in the article to Lauper or anyone else.
Beginning in the late 1980s, the expression was used frequently on WROR (later re-named WBMX), a Boston radio station owned by RKO General
Inc. Its first use was by General Manager Joseph M. Kelly, who said he was considering ending a network affiliation. "I'm thinking about putting The Source under the bus," Kelly said in early 1988. The phrase was picked up by station employees, and often used to describe political intrigue at the station, which was actively offered for sale as the result of an FCC decision finding RKO General unfit to hold broadcast licenses. Use of the phrase continued, both on and off the air, after the station was sold to a predecessor of American Radio Systems Corp. and its call letters changed to WBMX-FM. On-air use became more frequent after the company acquired sports talk station WEEI, when that station's personalities began to make greater use of the expression, by then ingrained in company culture as a term referring to statements and actions by someone intended to portray another in a negative light to decision-makers. This use was, in turn, picked up by print journalists who appeared on station broadcasts.
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
atic phrase meaning to sacrifice another person (often a friend or ally), who is usually not deserving of such treatment, out of malice or for personal gain.
The phrase has been widely popularized by sports journalists since 2004 and was picked up by the mainstream media during the 2008 primary season. It has frequently been used to describe various politicians distancing themselves from unpopular or controversial figures. David Segal, a writer for The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, calls the expression "the cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
of the 2008 campaign
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
."
In a March 2008
March 2008
March 2008 was the third month of the leap year. It had begun on a Saturday and ended after 31 days on a Monday.-International holidays:* March 2 – Mothering Sunday * March 7 – Nyepi...
NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
report, the linguist Geoff Nunberg noted that ‘under the bus’ "has appeared in more than 400 press stories on the campaign over the last six months."
Origins
In Septuagenarian Stew (The Life of a Bum), published in 1990, the Charles BukowskiCharles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
character Harry pushed his friend Monk in front of a bus, and then stole Monk's wallet while Monk lay unconscious and probably dying in the street. After taking the wallet, Harry went directly to a bar and, using Monk's money, bought himself two double whiskeys. Later, Harry went to the Groton Steak House and, again using Monk's money, bought two beers and two Porterhouse steaks with fries ("go easy on the grease").
Another relative early use is attributed by the Double-Tongued Dictionary to a 1991 article in the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph.
Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
http://www.newsweek.com/id/124292 is sometimes wrongly quoted as saying in the The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
in 1984: "In the rock ’n’ roll business, you are either on the bus or under it. Playing ‘Feelings’ with Eddie and the Condos in a buffet bar in Butte is under the bus." However, those lines were written by journalist David Remnick
David Remnick
David Remnick is an American journalist, writer, and magazine editor. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his book Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire. Remnick has been editor of The New Yorker magazine since 1998. He was named "Editor of the Year" by Advertising Age in 2000...
and they are not attributed in the article to Lauper or anyone else.
Beginning in the late 1980s, the expression was used frequently on WROR (later re-named WBMX), a Boston radio station owned by RKO General
RKO General
RKO General was the main holding company through 1991 for the noncore businesses of the General Tire and Rubber Company and, after General Tire's reorganization in the 1980s, GenCorp. The business was based around the consolidation of its parent company's broadcasting interests, dating to 1943, and...
Inc. Its first use was by General Manager Joseph M. Kelly, who said he was considering ending a network affiliation. "I'm thinking about putting The Source under the bus," Kelly said in early 1988. The phrase was picked up by station employees, and often used to describe political intrigue at the station, which was actively offered for sale as the result of an FCC decision finding RKO General unfit to hold broadcast licenses. Use of the phrase continued, both on and off the air, after the station was sold to a predecessor of American Radio Systems Corp. and its call letters changed to WBMX-FM. On-air use became more frequent after the company acquired sports talk station WEEI, when that station's personalities began to make greater use of the expression, by then ingrained in company culture as a term referring to statements and actions by someone intended to portray another in a negative light to decision-makers. This use was, in turn, picked up by print journalists who appeared on station broadcasts.
Examples
- "He not only threw me under the bus, he backed up and ran over me again." Larry CraigLarry CraigLarry Edwin Craig is a former Republican politician from the U.S. state of Idaho. He served 18 years in the U.S. Senate , preceded by 10 years in the U.S. House, representing Idaho's first district . His 28 years in the Congress rank as the second-longest in Idaho history, trailing only William...
on Mitt RomneyMitt RomneyWillard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W... - "His public performance in the last 24 hours has had the unintended consequence of throwing Senator Obama's campaign under the bus." Eugene RiversEugene RiversEugene F. Rivers, 3d is an American activist, and Pentecostal minister based in Boston, Massachusetts.He is Pastor of the , co-founder of the Boston TenPoint Coalition and co-chair of the National TenPoint Leadership Foundation...
on Jeremiah WrightJeremiah WrightJeremiah Alvesta Wright, Jr. is Pastor Emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ , a megachurch in Chicago exceeding 6,000 members... - "Did the press secretary know it when he threw the president's own father under the wheels of the bus of history, last night?" Keith OlbermannKeith OlbermannKeith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
on Tony SnowTony SnowRobert Anthony "Tony" Snow was an American journalist, political commentator, television news anchor, syndicated columnist, radio host, musician, and the third White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and...
's comment in 2006 that the US abandoned Bin Laden in 1991 - "When Obama cited [his grandmother] in his speech on race last spring, the right immediately accused him of 'throwing his grandmother under the bus.'"