To abandon someone in a difficult situation

The defendant attorney failed to show up in court, leaving his client stranded

L'avvocato difensore non si è presentato in tribunale, lasciando il suo cliente nei casini

When they had a much better offer by the new store, all my cashiers quit without notice, leaving me in the lurch

Dopo aver ricevuto una proposta molto interessante da parte del nuovo supermercato, tutte le mie cassiere se ne sono andate senza preavviso lasciandomi nelle peste

The word "lurch" originates from a 16th-century French dice game, lourche, similar to backgammon. To incur in a lurch meant to be far behind the opponent. This meaning of being left well behind was transferred to other games, including cribbage, where it meant scoring only 31 against an opponent's score of 61. In the 17th century it came into wider metaphoric use