Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater

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Meaning

Keep the good while ditching the bad, without discarding everything.

Origin

From 16th-century Germany, in a 1512 Murner satire; 'baby with bathwater' for rash toss, English by 1853 in Carlyle's work. Medieval baths shared tubs; baby last risked dump.

Usage Examples

  • Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater; keep the gems.
  • He threw out the baby with the bathwater; the good went too.
  • Throwing out the baby with the bathwater; slow down!

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