gone pear-shaped
Completely fallen apart
Gone pear-shaped means to have failed or gone wrong, especially when something started out well.
The expression is British in origin and suggests a shape that should be round or symmetrical becoming distorted: The project went pear-shaped after the lead developer quit.
Often used with "all": It's all gone pear-shaped.
- mishapMinor unfortunate occurrence
- botchedPoorly executed, spoiled
- disasterSudden ruinous event
- chaosComplete disorder and confusion
- debacleSudden, complete failure
failure · fiasco · bust · snafu · blunder · misfire · deteriorate · hit the skids · miscalculation · fallen apart · come apart at the seams · train wreck · off the rails · come unstuck · fallen through · frustration · disappointment · setback
gone pear-shapedsucceeded
Achieved desired outcome
worked out · come off · hit the mark · paid off · come together
gone pear-shapedturned around
Reversed one's orientation
picked up · improved · come right · straightened out · recovered
gone, goes, pear, pears, shaped, shape, shapes, shaping, shaper