go into a tailspin
1. Literally, to spiral to the ground, as of an airplane. The plane briefly went into a tailspin before the pilot was able to correct it. What if the plane goes into a tailspin? Are you an experienced enough pilot to handle that? Investigators at the crash site are still trying to determine why the plane went into a tailspin in the first place.
2. By extension, to become emotionally unstable. Robin has wanted to go to that college for so long that I'm worried she'll go into a tailspin if she doesn't get in. After the divorce, Pete went into a tailspin and started getting into some weird stuff. I think it's normal to go into a tailspin after a loved one's sudden death.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
go into a tailspin
1. Lit. [for an airplane] to lose control and spin to the earth, nose first. The plane shook and then suddenly went into a tailspin. The pilot was not able to bring the plane out of the tailspin, and it crashed into the sea.
2. . Fig. [for someone] to become disoriented or panicked; [for someone's life] to fall apart. Although John achieved great success, his life went into a tailspin. It took him a year to get straightened out. After her father died, Mary's world fell apart, and she went into a tailspin.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
go into a tailspin
Lose emotional control, collapse, panic. For example, If she fails the bar exam again, she's sure to go into a tailspin. This expression alludes to the downward movement of an airplane out of control, in which the tail describes a spiral. [Early 1900s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.