A: Why was Mary so angry? B: She was left in a lurch preparing for her kid’s birthday party when her husband decided to go on a fishing trip with his friends. Note: This idiom means “to be left or abandoned without assistance in a particularly awkward, difficult, or troublesome situation.” It originated from the French board game of lourche, which may be spelled “lurch” in English. This was similar to backgammon and was last played in the 17th century. Players suffered a lurch when they couldn’t win the game. The card game of cribbage, or crib, also has a “lurch” position which players may be left in if they don’t progress half way round the peg board before the winner finishes. | 