The French expression “tirer sur l’ambulance” translates literally to “to shoot at the ambulance”. English meanings or equivalent idioms include:
- to throw somebody under the bus
- to kick somebody when they’re down
- to pour water on a drowning man
- to flog a dead horse
French meanings on expressio.fr translate to “to oppress somebody when they’re in a desperate situation and “to set upon somebody when their fate is already challenged”.
Here’s an example sentence:
- On doit soutenir ceux qui travaille pour lutter contre le racisme, pas tirer sur l’ambulance. We have to support those who are fighting racism, now kick them when they’re down.