baby and bathwater: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  Global Englishneutral
  • The combination of desirable or valuable elements with undesirable ones, often used to warn against discarding the valuable part when attempting to remove the undesirable.

  Examples

  Beta

  • When revising the policy, be careful not to throw out the baby and bathwater; some parts are essential despite the flaws.

    Al revisar la política, ten cuidado de no desechar el bebé con el agua sucia; algunas partes son esenciales a pesar de los defectos.

  • The committee almost scrapped the entire program, but a member warned them not to throw away the baby and bathwater.

    El comité casi eliminó todo el programa, pero un miembro les advirtió que no tiraran al bebé con el agua sucia.

  • In trying to fix the software bug, the engineer avoided throwing the baby and bathwater by preserving useful functions.

    Al tratar de arreglar el error del software, el ingeniero evitó tirar al bebé con el agua sucia preservando las funciones útiles.

• 2.

  Global Englishinformal
  • Used as a shorthand reference to the proverb 'to throw the baby out with the bathwater,' conveying the same caution against losing the good while eliminating the bad.

  Examples

  Beta

  • He often uses 'baby and bathwater' as a shorthand to caution against losing valuable aspects while making changes.

    Él suele usar 'bebé y agua sucia' como una abreviatura para advertir sobre perder aspectos valiosos al hacer cambios.

  • When debating reforms, it's important not to throw the baby and bathwater by discarding traditions that still work.

    Al debatir reformas, es importante no tirar al bebé con el agua sucia descartando tradiciones que aún funcionan.

  • The phrase 'baby and bathwater' reminds us that sweeping changes can sometimes eliminate what's good along with the bad.

    La frase 'bebé y agua sucia' nos recuerda que los cambios drásticos a veces eliminan lo bueno junto con lo malo.

• 3.

  Global Englishneutral
  • A situation in which an excessive or careless corrective action removes or destroys something useful along with what is unwanted.

  Examples

  Beta

  • In the reorganization, the company threw out the baby and bathwater by losing both inefficient and vital departments.

    En la reorganización, la empresa tiró al bebé con el agua sucia al perder tanto departamentos ineficientes como vitales.

  • The new law aimed to reduce bureaucracy but ended up throwing the baby and bathwater, harming necessary services too.

    La nueva ley buscaba reducir la burocracia pero terminó tirando al bebé con el agua sucia, perjudicando también servicios necesarios.

  • Critics accused the administration of throwing the baby and bathwater by dismantling programs that had proven effective.

    Los críticos acusaron a la administración de tirar al bebé con el agua sucia al desmantelar programas que habían demostrado ser efectivos.