fair weather friend

fair weather friend (plural fair weather friends)

1. Alternative form of fair-weather friend.
   • 1839, [Lucius M. Sargent], Right Opposite. Founded on Fact (The Temperance Tales; II, number 6), Boston, Mass.: Published by Whipple and Damrell, No. 9 Cornhill; New York, N.Y.: Scofield and Voorhies, No. 118 Nassau Street, →OCLC, page 14:

     Ere long a portion of the village spire began to appear among the trees, and the gilded telltale on its top, in which the slippery politician, and the fair weather friend, and the doubting disciple, who is blown about by every wind of doctrine, may behold a happy emblem of life and practice.

   • 1852, C. Toler Wolfe, “Nothing Like Travel”, in A Book of Odds and Ends, Winchester, Va.: Printed by C. Toler Wolfe, Republican Office, →OCLC, page 34:

     Be not pestered with too many friends. […] There are as many grades of friends as there are plaids in the tartan. There is the friend of "ifs, buts, and ands," who always signifies that he would if he could, but as he can't, how can he? Then comes your fair weather friend, who deserts you the very first time you founder in the mud!

   • 2015, Andrew Humphries, Richard Gibbs, “Operational Implications of Culture”, in Enterprise Relationship Management: A Paradigm for Alliance Success, Farnham, Surrey, Burlington, Vt.: Gower Publishing, →ISBN, page 63:

     One respondent to a Gibbs and Humphries's research initiative characterised their senior management as ‘fair weather friends’ – keen to support the partnering initiative on day one and when things are going well, but eager to distance themselves when times got tough.