sink (redirected from sunk)

*sinking feeling

the feeling that everything is going wrong; a bad feeling in the base of one's stomach. (*Typically: get ~; have ~; give someone ~.) I get a sinking feeling whenever I think of the night of the accident.

See also: feeling

desert a sinking ship and leave a sinking ship

Fig. to leave a place, a person, or a situation when things become difficult or unpleasant. (Rats are said to be the first to leave a ship that is sinking.) I hate to be the one to desert a sinking ship, but I can't work for a company that continues to lose money. There goes Tom. Wouldn't you know he'd leave a sinking ship rather than stay around and try to help?

See also: desert, ship

everything but the kitchen sink

Cliché almost everything one can think of. When Sally went off to college, she took everything but the kitchen sink. John orders everything but the kitchen sink when he goes out to dinner, especially if someone else is paying for it.

See also: but, everything, kitchen

get one's teeth into something and sink one's teeth into something; get one's teeth in; sink one's teeth in

Fig. to begin to do something; to get completely involved in something. I can't wait to get my teeth into that Wallace job. Here, sink your teeth into this and see if you can't manage this project. He'll find it easier when he sinks in his teeth.

See also: get, teeth

Loose lips sink ships.

Don't talk carelessly because you don't know who is listening. (From wartime. Literally, "Don't reveal even the location of a loved one on a ship, because the location could be communicated to the enemy by a spy.") You never know who is going to hear what you say and how they will use what they hear. Remember, loose lips sink ships.

See also: lip, loose, ship

Rats abandon a sinking ship. and like rats abandoning a sinking ship

Prov. You can tell when something is about to fail because large numbers of people begin to leave it. (Can imply that the people who leave are "rats," that is, selfish and disloyal.) Jill: The company next door must be going bankrupt. Jane: How do you know? Jill: All its employees are resigning. Rats abandon a sinking ship.

See also: abandon, Rat, ship

sink something in (to) someone or something and sink something in 

1. Lit. to drive or push something into someone or something. The brave hero sank the wooden stake into the vampire. The hero sank in the stake.

2. Fig. to invest time or money in someone or something. (Sometimes implying that it was wasted.) You would not believe how much money I've sunk into that company! She sank in a lot of money, but it was all wasted.

sink back (into something)

to lean back and relax in something, such as a soft chair. I can't wait to get home and sink back into my easy chair. He sank back and went to sleep almost immediately.

See also: back

sink below something

to descend below a certain level. The boat sank below the surface of the water and was gone. The temperature sank below the freezing mark again today.

See also: below

sink down

to sink or submerge. The sun sank down and darkness spread across the land. She sat in the chair and sank down, enjoying her moment of relaxation.

sink in 

1. Lit. to sink, submerge, or descend into something. How long will it take the water to sink in? It might take days for the oil to sink in, so you have time to clean it up.

2. Fig. [for knowledge] to be understood. I heard what you said, but it took a while for it to sink in. I pay careful attention to everything I hear in calculus class, but it usually doesn't sink in.

sink into despair

to become depressed; to become completely discouraged. After facing the hopelessness of the future, Jean Paul sank into despair. Mary sank into despair upon learning of the death of her grandmother.

See also: despair

sink into oblivion

Fig. to fade into obscurity. She may be famous now, but in no time she will sink into oblivion. In his final years, Wally Wilson sank into oblivion and just faded away.

sink or swim

Fig. to fail or succeed. (Alludes to the choices available to someone who has fallen into the water.) After I've studied and learned all I can, I have to take the test and sink or swim. It's too late to help John now. It's sink or swim for him.

See also: swim

sink to (doing) something

Fig. to lower oneself to doing something bad or mean. I never thought he would sink to doing that. There is nothing that Max wouldn't sink to.

sink under (something)

to submerge. The small boat turned over and sank under the surface. It sank under and went straight to the bottom.

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somebody's heart sinks

if someone's heart sinks, they start to feel sad or worried He looked at the huge pile of work on his desk and his heart sank.

See also: heart

a sinking feeling  (informal)

a feeling that something bad is going to happen I had that sinking feeling you get going into an exam you haven't studied for.

See also: feeling

a sinking ship

a company or other organization that is failing He'd seen the company's accounts, realized he was on a sinking ship, and decided to get off.

See also: ship

everything but the kitchen sink  (humorous)

a lot of different things, many of which you do not need We were only going away for the weekend, but Jack insisted on taking everything but the kitchen sink.

See also: but, everything, kitchen

get/sink your teeth into something

to start to do something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm Up till then she'd only had small parts in films and nothing she could get her teeth into. It's a really exciting project - I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

See also: get, teeth

kitchen-sink  (British & Australian)

a kitchen-sink play, film, or style of painting is one which shows ordinary people's lives (always before noun) Kitchen-sink drama came into fashion in the 1950s. In his latest work, he is moving away from kitchen-sink realism towards a more experimental style of painting.

sink like a stone

to fail completely He had published two novels, both of which sank like a stone.

See also: like, stone

sink or swim

to fail or succeed Newcomers are given no training - they are simply left to sink or swim.

See also: swim

sink to such depths

to behave very badly I find it hard to believe that human beings could sink to such depths.

See also: depth, such

sink without trace

to be forgotten about completely, after being popular for a while They enjoyed brief success with their second album and then sank without trace.

See get teeth into

See also: trace, without

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your heart sinks

you become discouraged or disappointed My heart sank when I opened the letter and realized I had not been accepted into graduate school.

See also: heart

a sinking ship

an organization that is failing She says the school is a sinking ship, and has no money to hire additional teachers.

See also: ship

everything but the kitchen sink

almost all that you can imagine of something Here's a website that simply has everything but the kitchen sink.

Etymology: based on the idea that if you brought many things to someone, a kitchen sink is one of the last things you would bring because it is difficult to move

See also: but, everything, kitchen

sink your teeth into something

to start to do something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm She'd only had small parts in films and was hoping for a bigger, more interesting part, something she could sink her teeth into. It's a really exciting project – I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

See also: teeth