went down the drain
Lost for nothing
Went down the drain means was wasted or lost completely: All that planning went down the drain when they cancelled the event.
The image is of something valuable disappearing irretrievably into plumbing.
Money, effort, time, and opportunities commonly go down the drain.
Also down the tubes.
- squanderUse up carelessly
- sinkBasin with drain
- vanishCease to be visible
- dissipateGradually fade away
- collapseSudden structural failure
all for nothing · regret · salvage · debacle · wreckage · deplete · downfall · hopelessness · catastrophe · frustration · hard work · restore · pipe dream · hair · deterioration · plug · coin · ring
went down the drainpaid off
Yielded a positive result
bore fruit · succeeded · worked out · panned out · hit the jackpot
went down the drainheld onto
went down the drainmultiplied
Increased by repeated addition
grew · appreciated · flourished · prospered · made a difference
went, down, downer, downers, downward, downwards, downtown, downhill, drain