67 Idioms for Loyalty in English (With Meanings & Examples)

1. Have someone’s back

Meaning

In short: Protect and support someone, especially when they are vulnerable.

In detail: Informal, warm and one of the strongest promises in everyday English. It is used at work and between friends, and it means you will act, not just sympathise.

Examples in a sentence

• Go into the meeting. I have your back.
• She has always had my back.
• You do not need to explain. I have got your back.

Other ways to say it: watch someone’s back, be in someone’s corner, back someone up.

2. Stand by someone

Meaning

In short: Stay loyal to someone in difficulty.

In detail: Neutral and serious, and it usually implies that others did not. It is the phrase used about people who stayed when it cost them something.

Examples in a sentence

• She stood by him through the trial.
• Not one of them stood by her.
• I will stand by you whatever happens.

Other ways to say it: stick by someone, stay loyal, remain at someone’s side.

3. Stick by someone

Meaning

In short: Remain loyal, especially when it is unpopular.

In detail: Informal and warm, and slightly more stubborn than “stand by”. It suggests you are refusing to leave.

Examples in a sentence

• His family stuck by him.
• I stuck by her when nobody else would.
• They stick by each other, whatever the argument.

Other ways to say it: stand by someone, stay loyal, not abandon someone.

4. Be there for someone

Meaning

In short: Be available and supportive when someone needs you.

In detail: Informal and emotional. It is about presence rather than action, and it is one of the kindest phrases here.

Examples in a sentence

• She was there for me when my father died.
• I will be there for you, whatever you decide.
• He has not been there for his kids and he knows it.

Other ways to say it: stand by someone, be a shoulder to lean on, show up.

5. Stick up for someone

Meaning

In short: Defend someone verbally when they are criticised.

In detail: Informal and specific. It happens in conversation, usually when the person is not in the room, and it is what real loyalty actually looks like day to day.

Examples in a sentence

• He stuck up for me in front of the whole team.
• Nobody stuck up for her.
• Stick up for yourself, for once.

Other ways to say it: stand up for someone, defend someone, speak up for someone.

6. Stand up for someone

Meaning

In short: Publicly defend someone or something.

In detail: Neutral and slightly more formal than “stick up for”. It carries a moral weight, and it is used about principles as well as people.

Examples in a sentence

• She stood up for her colleague at the hearing.
• Stand up for what you believe in.
• Somebody has to stand up for the junior staff.

Other ways to say it: stick up for someone, defend, speak out for.

7. Back someone up

Meaning

In short: Support someone’s position or account.

In detail: Neutral and practical, and very common at work. It usually means confirming what somebody said, which is a small act with large consequences.

Examples in a sentence

• Will you back me up in the meeting?
• Nobody backed him up, so the idea died.
• She backed up my version of events.

Other ways to say it: support, corroborate, stand behind someone.

8. Fight someone’s corner

Meaning

In short: Argue on someone’s behalf.

In detail: British and neutral, from boxing, where your corner is where your team stands. It means active advocacy, not just sympathy.

Examples in a sentence

• She fought my corner when the budget was cut.
• Somebody needs to fight the team’s corner upstairs.
• He has always fought his sister’s corner.

Other ways to say it: be in someone’s corner, go to bat for someone, advocate for someone.

9. Be in someone’s corner

Meaning

In short: Be on someone’s side and supporting them.

In detail: Neutral and warm, also from boxing. It describes a position rather than an action, which makes it quieter than “fight someone’s corner”.

Examples in a sentence

• Whatever you choose, I am in your corner.
• It helps to know someone is in your corner.
• She has powerful people in her corner.

Other ways to say it: be on someone’s side, have someone’s back, support someone.

10. Go to bat for someone

Meaning

In short: Take real risk to defend or help someone.

In detail: American and informal, from baseball. It implies you spent your own credibility on their behalf.

Examples in a sentence

• He went to bat for me with the director.
• She went to bat for the whole department.
• Nobody went to bat for him, and he was let go.

Other ways to say it: fight someone’s corner, stick your neck out, advocate for someone.

11. Watch someone’s back

Meaning

In short: Look out for danger that someone cannot see.

In detail: Informal and protective. It is a slightly more active version of “have someone’s back”, with a sense of ongoing vigilance.

Examples in a sentence

• We watch each other’s backs in this team.
• Watch your back in that department.
• She has been watching my back for ten years.

Other ways to say it: have someone’s back, look out for someone, keep an eye out.

12. Cover for someone

Meaning

In short: Take on someone’s responsibility, or protect them from blame.

In detail: Neutral in form and morally complicated in use. Covering someone’s shift is generous. Covering their mistake is loyalty, and it may also be dishonest.

Examples in a sentence

• Can you cover for me on Friday?
• She covered for him for years and it nearly cost her the job.
• Do not cover for people who lie to you.

Other ways to say it: stand in for someone, take the heat, protect someone.

13. Stick together

Meaning

In short: Stay united, especially under pressure.

In detail: Informal and collective. It is what families, teams and communities say to each other when something has gone wrong.

Examples in a sentence

• If we stick together, they cannot pick us off one by one.
• The family stuck together through all of it.
• We stick together in this business.

Other ways to say it: stand together, stay united, close ranks.

14. Stand shoulder to shoulder

Meaning

In short: Stand united with someone in a difficult moment.

In detail: Formal and slightly grand, from soldiers in a line. It is common in political speeches and statements of support.

Examples in a sentence

• We stand shoulder to shoulder with our colleagues.
• The village stood shoulder to shoulder after the flood.
• They stood shoulder to shoulder and said nothing.

Other ways to say it: stand together, stand united, present a united front.

15. Through thick and thin

Meaning

In short: Through good times and bad, without leaving.

In detail: Warm and old, and it is the standard compliment for someone who never left. It is about duration, not intensity.

Examples in a sentence

• She stood by him through thick and thin.
• They have supported this club through thick and thin.
• Friends through thick and thin.

Other ways to say it: in good times and bad, come what may, no matter what.

16. Thick as thieves

Meaning

In short: Extremely close, and loyal to each other.

In detail: Informal and slightly conspiratorial. It suggests the two people share secrets, and that outsiders will not be let in.

Examples in a sentence

• Those two are thick as thieves.
• They have been thick as thieves since school.
• The pair of them are thick as thieves and I never know what they are planning.

Other ways to say it: inseparable, close-knit, in each other’s pockets.

17. Partner in crime

Meaning

In short: Your closest companion in whatever you do.

In detail: Informal and affectionate, and rarely about actual crime. It is used about friends, siblings and colleagues who do everything together.

Examples in a sentence

• She is my partner in crime at the office.
• Where is your partner in crime tonight?
• We were partners in crime all through university.

Other ways to say it: right-hand man, sidekick, accomplice.

18. Right-hand man

Meaning

In short: Your most trusted and important helper.

In detail: Neutral and respectful, and “right-hand woman” is used just as often. It implies competence as well as loyalty.

Examples in a sentence

• He was the founder’s right-hand man for twenty years.
• She is my right-hand woman and I could not run this place without her.
• Every good leader has a right-hand man.

Other ways to say it: second in command, number two, trusted lieutenant.

19. A wingman

Meaning

In short: Someone who supports you in a social situation.

In detail: Informal and American in origin, from fighter pilots. It is now used far beyond dating, for anyone who backs you up in the room.

Examples in a sentence

• Bring a wingman to the networking event.
• She was a superb wingman at the party.
• Every founder needs a wingman in investor meetings.

Other ways to say it: a sidekick, a backup, a partner in crime.

20. Brothers in arms

Meaning

In short: People bound together by a shared struggle.

In detail: Formal and serious, from soldiers. It is used figuratively about colleagues who went through something hard together.

Examples in a sentence

• After that project, we were brothers in arms.
• They were brothers in arms and they never spoke of it.
• The founding team are brothers in arms.

Other ways to say it: comrades, a band of brothers, allies.

21. Ride or die

Meaning

In short: Absolutely loyal, whatever happens.

In detail: Modern, informal and American in origin, and now widely used by younger speakers. It is intense, and it belongs among friends, not in a work email.

Examples in a sentence

• She is my ride or die.
• We have been ride or die since we were fifteen.
• That is a ride-or-die friendship.

Other ways to say it: loyal to the end, a true friend, through thick and thin.

22. Birds of a feather flock together

Meaning

In short: Similar people stay together.

In detail: A saying, and neutral in form. It is often mildly critical, implying that a group of people share a fault as well as a friendship.

Examples in a sentence

• They are all the same. Birds of a feather flock together.
• Birds of a feather, those two.
• Birds of a feather flock together, which explains the whole department.

Other ways to say it: two peas in a pod, cut from the same cloth, they stick together.

23. Keep your word

Meaning

In short: Do what you promised.

In detail: Neutral, plain and important. In English-speaking cultures this is the foundation of trust, and breaking it is a serious matter.

Examples in a sentence

• He kept his word, which surprised everyone.
• If you cannot keep your word, do not give it.
• She has always kept her word to me.

Other ways to say it: honour your promise, follow through, do what you said.

24. Be as good as your word

Meaning

In short: Reliably do exactly what you promised.

In detail: Neutral and admiring. It is a compliment about a pattern of behaviour, not a single occasion.

Examples in a sentence

• She was as good as her word and the money arrived on Monday.
• He is as good as his word, every time.
• They were as good as their word, which is rarer than it should be.

Other ways to say it: keep your word, be reliable, follow through.

25. A man of his word

Meaning

In short: Someone who always keeps a promise.

In detail: Neutral and traditional, and “a woman of her word” is used identically. It is one of the highest compliments in ordinary English.

Examples in a sentence

• He is a man of his word. If he says he will be there, he will.
• She is a woman of her word, so the deal is safe.
• In this business, being a man of your word is everything.

Other ways to say it: trustworthy, reliable, dependable.

26. Give your word

Meaning

In short: Make a serious promise.

In detail: Neutral and weighty. Giving your word is deliberately more formal than simply agreeing, and it raises the stakes.

Examples in a sentence

• I give you my word it will be done by Friday.
• He gave his word and then broke it.
• You have my word.

Other ways to say it: promise, swear, commit.

27. Cross my heart

Meaning

In short: I promise, sincerely.

In detail: Informal and childlike, from the full version “cross my heart and hope to die”. Adults use it lightly, and it is not for business.

Examples in a sentence

• I will not tell anyone. Cross my heart.
• Cross my heart, I had no idea.
• She promised, cross her heart, and told everyone by lunchtime.

Other ways to say it: I swear, I promise, honestly.

28. Stick to your guns

Meaning

In short: Refuse to change your position under pressure.

In detail: Neutral and admiring, and it is loyalty to a principle rather than a person. It can also be stubbornness, depending on who is describing it.

Examples in a sentence

• She stuck to her guns and the board eventually agreed.
• Stick to your guns. You are right about this.
• He stuck to his guns and lost the contract.

Other ways to say it: hold your ground, stand firm, refuse to budge.

29. Stay the course

Meaning

In short: Continue to the end, despite difficulty.

In detail: Neutral and slightly formal. It is about endurance and commitment rather than about people.

Examples in a sentence

• We are staying the course, whatever the market does.
• She stayed the course when everyone else quit.
• Stay the course. It gets better.

Other ways to say it: see it through, keep going, stick with it.

30. See it through

Meaning

In short: Finish what you started.

In detail: Neutral and quietly admirable. It implies the finishing is hard, and that the person will do it anyway.

Examples in a sentence

• I said I would help, so I will see it through.
• She saw the project through to the end.
• Do not start it unless you intend to see it through.

Other ways to say it: stay the course, follow through, finish the job.

31. Never let someone down

Meaning

In short: Never fail someone who was relying on you.

In detail: Neutral and plain, and it is the sentence people most want to be true about themselves.

Examples in a sentence

• She has never let me down.
• I will not let you down.
• He let the whole team down and he knows it.

Other ways to say it: never fail someone, always come through, be dependable.

32. A safe pair of hands

Meaning

In short: Someone reliable who will not make mistakes.

In detail: British and neutral, from cricket. It is a compliment about reliability rather than brilliance, and it is exactly what you want in a crisis.

Examples in a sentence

• She is a safe pair of hands.
• We need a safe pair of hands on this account.
• He is not exciting, and he is a safe pair of hands.

Other ways to say it: dependable, reliable, steady.

33. Be someone’s rock

Meaning

In short: Be the person who holds someone steady.

In detail: Warm and emotional. It is used about partners, parents and closest friends, and it is one of the most affectionate phrases in the language.

Examples in a sentence

• She has been my rock through all of it.
• He was the family’s rock after the accident.
• Every person needs a rock.

Other ways to say it: a shoulder to lean on, a pillar of strength, an anchor.

34. Loyal to a fault

Meaning

In short: So loyal that it harms you.

In detail: Not entirely a compliment. The phrase “to a fault” means the virtue has gone too far, so this describes someone who defends people who do not deserve it.

Examples in a sentence

• He is loyal to a fault, and it has cost him twice.
• She is loyal to a fault, even to people who lie to her.
• Being loyal to a fault is still a fault.

Other ways to say it: blindly loyal, too forgiving, loyal beyond reason.

35. Dyed in the wool

Meaning

In short: Committed permanently and completely.

In detail: Neutral and slightly formal, from dyeing wool before it is spun, so the colour goes all the way through. It is used about beliefs and allegiances.

Examples in a sentence

• He is a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist.
• She is dyed-in-the-wool loyal to that company.
• A dyed-in-the-wool supporter since childhood.

Other ways to say it: through and through, committed, unshakable.

36. Through and through

Meaning

In short: Completely, in every part.

In detail: Neutral and emphatic. It comes after the noun, as in “a professional through and through”.

Examples in a sentence

• She is a teacher through and through.
• He is loyal through and through.
• A Londoner through and through.

Other ways to say it: dyed in the wool, to the core, in every way.

37. A die-hard fan

Meaning

In short: Someone who stays loyal no matter how bad things get.

In detail: Informal and admiring, and it is used about sport, music and brands. The loyalty survives failure, which is the whole point.

Examples in a sentence

• Die-hard fans turned up in the rain to watch them lose.
• He is a die-hard supporter, in every sense.
• Only the die-hards stayed until the end.

Other ways to say it: a devoted fan, a lifelong supporter, a true believer.

38. True blue

Meaning

In short: Completely loyal and unwavering.

In detail: British and slightly old-fashioned, and in the UK it can also mean a loyal Conservative voter. In the US it simply means genuinely loyal.

Examples in a sentence

• He is true blue, and he always was.
• A true-blue friend.
• She is true blue about that team.

Other ways to say it: staunch, unwavering, loyal to the core.

39. Nail your colours to the mast

Meaning

In short: Publicly declare which side you are on.

In detail: British and formal, from ships, where nailing the flag up meant you could not surrender. It means the commitment is now irreversible.

Examples in a sentence

• She nailed her colours to the mast and backed the union.
• It is time to nail your colours to the mast.
• He nailed his colours to the mast early and never wavered.

Other ways to say it: declare your position, come off the fence, commit publicly.

40. Fly the flag

Meaning

In short: Publicly show your support for something.

In detail: Neutral and positive. It is about visible allegiance, often on behalf of a group who cannot be there.

Examples in a sentence

• Somebody has to fly the flag for the department.
• She flies the flag for small publishers everywhere.
• He was flying the flag at the conference all week.

Other ways to say it: represent, show support, wave the flag.

41. Old faithful

Meaning

In short: Something or someone that has never let you down.

In detail: Informal and affectionate, and used about people, cars, tools and coats. It carries years of reliability.

Examples in a sentence

• I brought old faithful, my twenty-year-old jacket.
• The old faithful in the team is Dave.
• Old faithful has never failed to start.

Other ways to say it: a reliable old friend, a stalwart, always there.

42. Take one for the team

Meaning

In short: Accept something unpleasant so that others do not have to.

In detail: Informal and often slightly comic, though it can be serious. The point is that you volunteered for the cost.

Examples in a sentence

• Somebody has to sit next to the client. I will take one for the team.
• She took one for the team and worked the weekend.
• He took one for the team and admitted the mistake.

Other ways to say it: make the sacrifice, do the unpleasant job, fall on your sword.

43. Fall on your sword

Meaning

In short: Take the blame or resign to protect others.

In detail: Formal and serious, from Roman generals. It means accepting personal ruin so that your side survives.

Examples in a sentence

• The chief executive fell on his sword.
• Somebody will have to fall on their sword over this.
• She fell on her sword to protect her team.

Other ways to say it: take the blame, resign honourably, carry the can.

44. Go down with the ship

Meaning

In short: Stay loyal to something that is failing, to the very end.

In detail: Neutral and slightly tragic. It is admirable and possibly foolish, and both meanings are usually present.

Examples in a sentence

• He stayed to the last day. He went down with the ship.
• I am not going down with this ship.
• Some captains go down with the ship, and some send a memo.

Other ways to say it: stay to the end, stand by it, refuse to abandon it.

45. Have someone’s six

Meaning

In short: Guard the position where someone is most exposed.

In detail: Informal, from military language, where six o’clock is directly behind you. It is a stronger, more specific version of “have someone’s back”.

Examples in a sentence

• Go. I have your six.
• In this team, we have each other’s six.
• He always had my six and never asked for credit.

Other ways to say it: have someone’s back, cover someone, watch out for someone.

46. Stick your neck out

Meaning

In short: Take a personal risk for someone or something.

In detail: Informal and brave, and it always involves exposure. You may be wrong, and everyone will know it was you.

Examples in a sentence

• She stuck her neck out to defend the junior team.
• I stuck my neck out for him and he let me down.
• Nobody wants to stick their neck out in that culture.

Other ways to say it: go out on a limb, take a risk, put yourself on the line.

47. Go out on a limb

Meaning

In short: Take a risky position, alone, in support of something.

In detail: Neutral and vivid, from climbing out on a tree branch that may break. It emphasises being alone out there.

Examples in a sentence

• I will go out on a limb and say she is the best candidate we have seen.
• He went out on a limb for that project and it paid off.
• Going out on a limb for someone should mean something.

Other ways to say it: stick your neck out, take a chance, back someone publicly.

48. Sell someone out

Meaning

In short: Betray someone for your own benefit.

In detail: Informal and severe. The betrayal is transactional, which is what makes it worse than simply letting someone down.

Examples in a sentence

• He sold out his own team to save himself.
• She was sold out by the one person she trusted.
• Nobody wants to work with someone who sells people out.

Other ways to say it: betray, throw someone under the bus, turn on someone.

49. Throw someone under the bus

Meaning

In short: Blame or sacrifice someone to protect yourself.

In detail: Informal, modern and extremely common at work. It describes the exact moment somebody names you in a meeting to save their own position.

Examples in a sentence

• He threw the whole team under the bus in front of the client.
• I was thrown under the bus for a decision I never made.
• Do not throw your colleagues under the bus.

Other ways to say it: sell someone out, shift the blame, sacrifice someone.

50. Turn your back on someone

Meaning

In short: Abandon someone who needed you.

In detail: Neutral in form and severe in judgement. It is the exact opposite of standing by them, and the phrase uses the same geography.

Examples in a sentence

• His friends turned their backs on him.
• I will never turn my back on my family.
• She turned her back on the industry and never returned.

Other ways to say it: abandon, walk away from, desert.

51. Go behind someone’s back

Meaning

In short: Act against someone secretly.

In detail: Neutral and clearly negative. The secrecy is the offence, not necessarily the action itself.

Examples in a sentence

• She went behind my back and spoke to the client directly.
• Do not go behind your manager’s back.
• He went behind their backs and applied for the job himself.

Other ways to say it: be underhanded, act secretly, betray a trust.

52. Jump ship

Meaning

In short: Leave when things get difficult.

In detail: Informal and critical, from sailors deserting. It suggests the leaving was self-interested and badly timed.

Examples in a sentence

• Half the team jumped ship after the takeover.
• He jumped ship the moment the funding dried up.
• I am not jumping ship. I am staying.

Other ways to say it: desert, bail out, abandon ship.

53. Rats deserting a sinking ship

Meaning

In short: People leaving en masse at the first sign of failure.

In detail: Contemptuous. It is one of the harshest things you can say about a group of colleagues, and it is said often.

Examples in a sentence

• Three resignations in a week. Rats deserting a sinking ship.
• They left like rats from a sinking ship.
• Call it a career move. It is rats and a sinking ship.

Other ways to say it: jump ship, bail out, abandon it.

54. A snake in the grass

Meaning

In short: A hidden traitor who pretends to be a friend.

In detail: Strong and old. The danger is the concealment, and the phrase is a serious accusation.

Examples in a sentence

• He turned out to be a snake in the grass.
• Watch her. She is a snake in the grass.
• There is a snake in the grass on this team.

Other ways to say it: a traitor, two-faced, a backstabber.

55. A Judas

Meaning

In short: Someone who betrays a person who trusted them completely.

In detail: Strong and biblical, and the most serious accusation of betrayal in English. Do not use it lightly.

Examples in a sentence

• He was called a Judas by his own side.
• History remembers him as a Judas.
• To his old friends, she will always be a Judas.

Other ways to say it: a traitor, a betrayer, a turncoat.

56. Bite the hand that feeds you

Meaning

In short: Harm the person who has been helping you.

In detail: Critical and specific. It is about ingratitude as much as betrayal, and it is common about employees and beneficiaries.

Examples in a sentence

• Criticising the company that trained you is biting the hand that feeds you.
• Do not bite the hand that feeds you.
• He bit the hand that fed him and then asked for a reference.

Other ways to say it: be ungrateful, turn on your benefactor, repay kindness with harm.

57. Two-faced

Meaning

In short: Pleasant to someone’s face and hostile behind their back.

In detail: Informal and insulting. It is one of the most damaging things you can be called in an English-speaking workplace.

Examples in a sentence

• She is completely two-faced.
• I cannot stand two-faced people.
• He was charming to her face and two-faced the moment she left.

Other ways to say it: duplicitous, false, a snake in the grass.

58. Play both sides

Meaning

In short: Support two opposing parties at once, for your own benefit.

In detail: Critical and strategic. It is not indecision, it is calculation, which is what makes it worse.

Examples in a sentence

• He plays both sides and gets away with it.
• She was playing both sides for months.
• You cannot play both sides forever.

Other ways to say it: run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, double-deal, be two-faced.

59. A fair-weather friend

Meaning

In short: Someone who is only your friend when things are easy.

In detail: Neutral in form and quietly devastating. It names the exact person who disappeared when you needed them.

Examples in a sentence

• I found out who my fair-weather friends were.
• He is a fair-weather friend and nothing more.
• Fair-weather friends vanish the day it goes wrong.

Other ways to say it: a summer soldier, not a true friend, a friend in name only.

60. Leave someone high and dry

Meaning

In short: Abandon someone with no help at all.

In detail: Neutral in form and severe. From a boat left by the tide, it emphasises being stranded, not just let down.

Examples in a sentence

• The supplier left us high and dry a week before the launch.
• She quit and left the team high and dry.
• I have been left high and dry before, so I plan for it.

Other ways to say it: leave someone stranded, abandon, let someone down badly.

61. Go back on your word

Meaning

In short: Break a promise you made.

In detail: Neutral and serious. In English-speaking business culture this is close to a moral failure, and it is remembered.

Examples in a sentence

• They went back on their word about the bonus.
• He has never gone back on his word.
• If you go back on your word once, that is what people will remember.

Other ways to say it: break your promise, renege, fail to deliver.

62. Blood is thicker than water

Meaning

In short: Family loyalty comes before everything else.

In detail: A saying, and often used to explain a decision that looks unfair to outsiders. It is not universally accepted, and plenty of people say the opposite.

Examples in a sentence

• He gave the job to his nephew. Blood is thicker than water.
• She chose her sister over her business partner. Blood is thicker than water.
• Blood is thicker than water, apparently, though water is easier to live with.

Other ways to say it: family first, family comes first, kin before all.

63. A friend in need is a friend indeed

Meaning

In short: True friends show themselves when you need help.

In detail: A saying, warm and old. It is the classic test of loyalty: not who is there at the party, but who is there afterwards.

Examples in a sentence

• She drove four hours to help me move. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
• A friend in need is a friend indeed, and I have two.
• You learn who your friends are. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Other ways to say it: you find out who your friends are, true friends show up, real friends stay.

64. Loyalty is a two-way street

Meaning

In short: Loyalty has to be given as well as received.

In detail: A saying, and usually said as a complaint. It appears most often when an employer expects loyalty it has not earned.

Examples in a sentence

• They want commitment and give nothing back. Loyalty is a two-way street.
• Loyalty is a two-way street, and this one only goes one way.
• She reminded the board that loyalty is a two-way street.

Other ways to say it: it works both ways, loyalty must be earned, respect goes both ways.

65. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours

Meaning

In short: Mutual help, given in exchange.

In detail: Informal, and it describes reciprocity rather than loyalty. It can sound faintly corrupt, so be careful using it at work.

Examples in a sentence

• I will cover your shift. You scratch my back and I will scratch yours.
• The whole industry runs on you scratch my back and I will scratch yours.
• It is not loyalty, it is you scratch my back.

Other ways to say it: one hand washes the other, do each other a favour, quid pro quo.

66. United we stand, divided we fall

Meaning

In short: Together we survive, separately we are defeated.

In detail: A saying, formal and rousing. It is common in politics, unions and team talks.

Examples in a sentence

• United we stand, divided we fall. Do not sign individually.
• The whole campaign was built on united we stand.
• United we stand, and right now we are not standing.

Other ways to say it: stick together, strength in numbers, stand as one.

67. Never forget where you came from

Meaning

In short: Stay loyal to your origins and the people in them.

In detail: A saying, warm and slightly stern. It is a moral instruction, and it is usually aimed at somebody who has become successful.

Examples in a sentence

• He is famous now and he never forgot where he came from.
• Never forget where you came from, or who carried you.
• She goes back every Christmas. She never forgot where she came from.

Other ways to say it: stay grounded, remember your roots, do not get above yourself.

Tips for Using These Idioms Naturally

• “I have your back” is a promise, not a pleasantry. English speakers hear it as a commitment to act, not to sympathise. If you are not going to defend the person in the meeting, do not say it before the meeting.
• Loyal to a fault is a criticism wearing a compliment’s clothes. “To a fault” always means the virtue has gone too far. Say it about someone and you are saying their loyalty is now a weakness.
• Some of these are serious accusations. A Judas, a snake in the grass, two-faced and sell someone out are not descriptions, they are charges. In a workplace, saying one of them out loud can end a working relationship permanently.
• Betrayal reuses the loyalty vocabulary. Have someone’s back, or stab them in it. Stand by them, or turn your back on them. The images are deliberately the same, so if you learn one half, the other half comes almost free.
• Watch the region. Fight someone’s corner, a safe pair of hands, true blue and nail your colours to the mast are British. Go to bat for someone, throw someone under the bus, ride or die and have someone’s six are American.