the captain goes down with the ship

English

Etymology

From the maritime tradition that a sea captain holds ultimate responsibility for both their ship and everyone embarked on it, and in an emergency will either save those on board or die trying.

Proverb

the captain goes down with the ship

  1. A leader is ultimately responsible for the penalities of a catastrophe, even they result from external causes or the misactions of others under his purview.
    Synonym: the buck stops here

Translations

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