eat one's young
To betray a constituent or charge out of self-serving interests or desperationTo betray a constituent or charge out of self-serving interests or desperation.
» What do old people eat that young people don't?
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 sensesTo betray a constituent or charge out of self-serving interests or desperation.
With bankruptcy looming, the corporation eventually began eating its young; massive layoffs were announced, and all employee benefits and bonuses were suspended.
Examples
2 sentencesWhat do old people eat that young people don't?
Some animals eat their young.
ruНекоторые животные поедают своих детёнышей. — sharptoothed
deManche Tiere fressen ihre Jungen. — samueldora
Origin
The term is derived from the zoological phenomenon of animals killing and consuming theirThe term is derived from the zoological phenomenon of animals killing and consuming their own young for sustenance.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
eats one's young, eating one's young, ate one's young, eaten one's young| Base form | eat one's young · to eat one's young |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | eats one's young |
| Present participle | eating one's young |
| Past simple | ate one's young |
| Past participle | eaten one's young |
irregular · Lesson
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.