# save the furniture

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/save-the-furniture
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To salvage something positive from a calamitous situation, especially one involving the reputation or fate of a political party.

## Examples

- The team tried to save the furniture after the bad news.
- The manager fires the coach to save the furniture after a long losing streak.
- After the scandal broke, the party leader worked hard to save the furniture before the next election.
- When the merger failed, the CEO resigned immediately to save the furniture and protect the company's remaining stock value.
- The government is offering tax cuts now because they are desperate to save the furniture before the voters head to the polls.
- Despite the catastrophic loss of public support, the campaign manager scrambled to save the furniture by distancing the candidate from the failed policy.

## Origin

The phrase originates as an allusion to the rapid removal of household items from a building threatened by fire, flood, or a similar disaster. It shares a common conceptual root with the French expression *sauver les meubles*, identifying the immediate preservation of movable assets when the structure itself is considered a lost cause.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.