goes pear-shaped
Falls apart badly
Goes pear-shaped means to go wrong or fail, especially when something starts well but deteriorates: The project went pear-shaped after we lost funding.
British in origin, the phrase suggests a shape that should be round or controlled losing its form.
It often describes plans or situations that collapse unexpectedly: Everything was fine until the second act, then it all went pear-shaped.
- failBe unsuccessful
- awryCrooked or wrong
- hit a snagEncounter an unforeseen complication
- mishapMinor unfortunate occurrence
- hit the skidsEnter rapid deterioration
go south · go off the rails · chaos · screw up · crash and burn · blow up in your face · mess up · fiasco · mistake · botch · fall flat · go down the tubes · catastrophe · disaster · come unstuck · come apart at the seams · blunder · havoc