A: I think we should take time out and visit Mary more often. After her husband died, it kind of left her high and dry.

B: Didn’t her husband leave her some money?

A: Not much, and since she doesn’t have a job, her life can be difficult.

B: OK, let’s visit Mary this Saturday.

Note: “High and dry” originally referred to ships that were beached. The “dry” implies that, not only were they out of the water, but had been for some time and could be expected to remain so. It was first used in a “Ship News” column in The Times, August 1796, referring to a Russian frigate that was left “nearly high and dry.” Therefore, “to leave someone high and dry” means “to leave them helpless.”