going down the drain
Circling toward failure
Going down the drain describes something being wasted or lost, often irretrievably.
Money, effort, time, or opportunities go down the drain when they're squandered or come to nothing: All that work went right down the drain when the project was canceled.
The image is of something disappearing into a sink or bathtub drain—gone for good.
- disappearingCeasing to be visible
- slipping awayGradually leaving or diminishing
- evaporatingChanging from liquid to gas
- fall awayGradually decrease or recede
- dwindlingProgressively becoming smaller
vanishing · down the tubes · squandering · throwing money away · pipe · sinkhole · sewer · wastefulness · downfall · wastage · deterioration · money pit · bankruptcy · ruin · dissipation · depletion · collapse · irretrievability
going down the drainon the rise
Becoming greater or more
looking up · improving · thriving · flourishing · taking off
going down the drainpulling through
Recovering from hardship
back on track · out of the woods · turning the corner · bouncing back · recovering
going, downer, downers, downward, downwards, drain, drains, drained, draining