a fair-weather friend
/ə ˌfeəweðə ˈfrend/NEUTRAL · C1
Meaning
someone who is loyal only when things are going well
Examples
- 1When I lost my job, I soon found out that Jake was a fair-weather friend.
- 2Everyone has a fair-weather friend or two: great fun at parties, nowhere to be seen on moving day.
- 3Jo was great company on holiday, but she vanished when I failed my exams — a fair-weather friend, really.
- 4Are you sure Chloe will help with the move, or is she a fair-weather friend?
- 5Only two teammates visited me after the operation, and I realised the captain was a fair-weather friend.
Grammar
Countable: a fair-weather friend, plural fair-weather friends. Keep the hyphen in fair-weather.
More idioms about weather
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →in the cold light of daylater, when you can think about something calmlyunder the weatherfeeling slightly illbreak the iceto help people who have just met feel more relaxeda breath of fresh airsomeone or something new that makes things more excitingthe calm before the storma quiet period just before trouble or great activitytake a rain checkto refuse an invitation politely but suggest another time
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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