busted flush
1. Literally, a hand in poker consisting of four cards of the same suit and one that is different, i.e., one card short of a flush. I thought I'd finally win the hand, but when I drew the ace of spades, I was left with a busted flush. Wow, you're a good bluffer. I definitely thought you were working with more than a busted flush. I had been hoping for a royal flush, but when I didn't draw the queen of clubs, my hand became a busted flush.
2. A person, organization, or thing that at one time held great potential or influence but that ultimately ended up a failure. Jack left secondary school with great grades and a bright future, but he became addicted to drugs and turned out a busted flush. The company promised big returns to investors but turned out to be a busted flush. Why would you hire this guy to be CEO? His last business venture was a total busted flush!
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