down the toilet
Gone, irretrievably lost
Down the toilet describes something wasted, ruined, or lost beyond recovery.
Money, effort, plans, or opportunities can all go down the toilet: All that work went right down the toilet when the project got cancelled.
The image is of something flushed away permanently.
The phrase often expresses frustration at preventable loss.
- up in smokeDestroyed, wasted, ruined
- out the windowDismissed and forgotten
- wastefulnessCareless use of resources
- flushSame suit, five cards
- destructionAct of completely ruining
frustration · downfall · circling the drain · regret · collapse · deterioration · hopelessness · dead in the water · sewage system · despair · mismanagement · disappointment · biting the dust · anger · resignation · embarrassment · abandonment · wastewater
down the toiletput to good use
Apply effectively toward purpose
saved · preserved · salvaged · bearing fruit · paying off
down the toileton the rise
Becoming greater or more
through the roof · skyrocketing · on the up and up · coming up roses · going up
down, toilet, downer, downed, downing, downs, toilets, toileting