Etymology

throw under the bus

Today it means: To betray or blame (something or someone); to deliberately put (something or someone) in an unfavorable situation and then leave to their fate; to make (something or someone) into a scapegoat or otherwise abandon for personal gain. Full definition →

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The story

Attested from the early 1980s, possibly of UK origin.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.