lurch2

 
Pronunciation: /ləːtʃ/

noun

(in phrase leave someone in the lurch)
  • leave an associate or friend abruptly and without assistance or support when they are in a difficult situation: he left you in the lurch when you needed him most

Origin:

mid 16th century (denoting a state of discomfiture): from French lourche, the name of a game resembling backgammon, used in the phrase demeurer lourche 'be discomfited'