killed the goose that laid the golden eggs

Verb

kill the goose that lays the golden eggs (third-person singular simple present kills the goose that lays the golden eggs, present participle killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, simple past and past participle killed the goose that laid the golden eggs)

1. (idiomatic) To seek short-term gain at the sacrifice of long-term profit.
   • Have the increases in ordinary fares begun to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs?1962 December, “Talking of Trains: Passenger traffic declining”, in Modern Railways, page 364

   Synonyms:

   take the short view