Coined by analogy with phrases such asmake it to the top andclimb the ladder that liken success to an upward struggle.
pulltheladderupbehindoneself (third-person singular simple presentpulls the ladder up behind oneself,present participlepulling the ladder up behind oneself,simple past and past participlepulled the ladder up behind oneself)
- (idiomatic) To prevent others from attaining or benefiting from the sameadvantages,opportunities, orrights as oneself.
1965 July 24, “Shall We Non-Proliferate?”, inThe Economist, page313:The odds are that, after the first flush of enthusiasm, a non-proliferation treaty is going to look to many of the have-nots like a device for letting Russia and America scramble on top of their nuclear piles and thenpull the ladder up behind them.
1973, Wade Rowland,The Plot to Save the World: The Life and Times of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment[1], page47:Environmental concerns were a neat excuse for the industrialized nations topull the ladder up behind them.
1994, Tema Frank,Canada's Best Employers for Women: A Guide for Job Hunters, Employees and Employers[2], page45:Commented one senior administrator, “Early in my career another woman said to me, 'When you get where you're going, don'tpull the ladder up behind you.' That is the prevalent attitude here."
- For more quotations using this term, seeCitations:pull the ladder up behind oneself.
