the captain goes down with the ship

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English

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Etymology

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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

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the captain goes down with the ship

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

Translations

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