down the drain

1. In a state of failure or ruination. My father's company is now going down the drain because of the incompetent new CEO. You got a C average? Boy, your grades have really gone down the drain this semester. We had big plans for our trip, but the terrible weather sent it all down the drain.

2. Squandered or wastefully discarded. All of our savings have gone down the drain ever since Jack had his little gambling spree in Las Vegas. My degree in literature has so far been a lot of money down the drain, as the only jobs I've been able to get have been in restaurants waiting tables. All of these gadgets you buy are just money down the drain, if you ask me.

See also: down, drain

down the drain

On the way to being lost or wasted; disappearing. For example, Buying new furniture when they can't take it with them is just pouring money down the drain , or During the Depression huge fortunes went down the drain. This metaphoric term alludes to water going down a drain and being carried off. [Colloquial; c. 1920] For a synonym, see down the tubes.

See also: down, drain

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.

down the drain

BRITISH, AMERICAN or

down the tubes

BRITISH, AMERICAN or

down the pan

BRITISH

COMMON If something is going down the drain, down the tubes or down the pan, it is getting worse or being destroyed and it is unlikely to recover. They were aware that their public image was rapidly going down the drain. People don't like to see marriages going down the tubes. Note: Words such as plughole and toilet are sometimes used instead of drain. Neil admitted recently that long working hours mean his personal life has gone down the toilet.

1. If money, work, or time has gone down the drain, down the tubes or down the pan, it has been lost or wasted. Over the years, the government has poured billions of dollars down the drain propping up its national airlines and other firms. You have ruined everything — my perfect plans, my great organization. All those years of work are down the drain. Note: Words such as plughole and toilet are sometimes used instead of drain. Millions of dollars have gone down the plughole.

See also: down, drain

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

down the drain

totally wasted or spoilt. informal

1930 W. Somerset Maugham The Breadwinner All his savings are gone down the drain.

See also: down, drain

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

(go) down the ˈdrain

(British English also (go) down the ˈplughole) (informal) (be) wasted or lost; (get) much worse: He watched his business, which had taken so long to build up, go slowly down the drain.

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down the drain

mod. gone; wasted. A lot of money went down the drain in that Wilson deal.

See also: down, drain

down the drain

To or into the condition of being wasted or lost: All of our best laid plans are down the drain.

See also: down, drain

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

down the drain

Wasted resources. The term, alluding to water flowing down a drain, was transferred to expending effort or funds on a useless enterprise. “Well, fancy giving money to the Government! Might as well have put it down the drain,” wrote Sir Alan Patrick Herbert (1890–1971) in Too Much. To go down the drain means to become worthless. It was so used by W. Somerset Maugham (The Breadwinner, 1930): “All his savings are gone down the drain.”

See also: down, drain

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