bite the hand that feeds you

Idioms and Phrases

Show ingratitude, turn against a benefactor. For example, The college gave me a scholarship, so I shouldn't bite the hand that feeds me and criticize its hiring policies . Used about 600 b.c. by the Greek poet Sappho, this metaphor of a dog biting its master was first recorded in English in 1711.

Example Sentences

To Gay, it also felt like Garcia was betting against her own team and had violated the cardinal rule of reality TV: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

From Los Angeles Times

“You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

From New York Times

"Why bite the hand that feeds you?"

From BBC

“It’s still inherently risky, I think, to bite the hand that feeds you,” Chan said.

From Los Angeles Times

“Every artist is understandably nervous to bite the hand that feeds you, even if it doesn’t feed you much,” Hunt said.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• abandon
• deceive
• forsake
• mislead
• seduce