tube (redirected from tubes)

go down the chute and go down the drain; go down the tube(s)

Sl. to fail; to be thrown away or wasted. Everything we have accomplished has gone down the chute. The whole project went down the drain.

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down the tube/tubes 

1. (informal) if something goes down the tubes, it fails or disappears Our holiday plans went down the tube because of the train strike.

2. (American informal) if someone goes down the tubes, they fail He's in danger of going down the tubes if he doesn't learn to get on with people at work.

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go down the tubes (spoken) also go down the tube

to fail or become much worse His business is going down the tubes and he's about to lose his house. Prices are going up and the service is terrible - everything's going down the tubes.