down the drain


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Related to down the drain: go down the drain

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.
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.
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

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

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

(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.
See also: down, drain

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
References in periodicals archive ?
In the bathroom, clear your hair out of the shower or sink, rather than letting the water flush it down the drain.
Let's stop that stinking feeling; Are you sick of nasty whiffs filling your kitchen or bathroom? Here's how to make clean pipe dream a reality in just a few simple steps..
Continue until you've pushed the exposed cable down the drain.
Unclog a kitchen sink
Many people don't realise the harmful effects of pouring these down the drain, but fats, oils and greases quickly solidify when they hit the cool walls of the sewer and sticks to the side.
Leftover Christmas turkey fat may block sewers, fears Gloucestershire County Council
Tests on other inks indicate there is not a disposal issue, but please do not interpret this to mean that the ink waste can go down the drain.
What is proper ink waste disposal?
It's a double whammy, because you have a person struggling to make ends meet and then their pet is going down the drain with them as well.
Street Dogs
I've had a little Rover for many a year I love to go driving while not on the beer But now Rover's finished, it's going down the drain I never will buy a new Rover again And, it's no nay never, no nay never again Will I buy a new Rover no never again Tony Blair landed a grin on his face He said, I've just come to look at this place I've got an election I want votes by the score But I'm sorry there won't be a Rover no more And, it's no nay never, no nay never again Will I buy a new Rover no never again
A ROVER PROTEST SONG
That symbolism of washing one's transgressions down the drain was in part the basis of the laundries run in Roman Catholic Ireland by the Sisters of Mercy, institutions which operated late into the 20th century.
Few clean hands in these laundries: film denounced by Vatican
Twenty-six years of naval service were flushed down the drain immediately, No pension.
The officer and the gentleman. (my perspective)
Somehow, the institutions that have gone down the drain have to be replaced.
Witness to Faith Award for Dr. Dooley. (News in Brief: Canada)
A First, turn the running faucet in your kitchen sink so that the water hits the sink bottom rather than runs directly down the drain.
Amazing voyager: 25 years of exploring space. (Earth science: solar system/interstellar space)
Instead, it pulled down thousands of teachers, union members, scientists, journalists, actors, entertainers like us, who saw our lives disrupted, our jobs and careers go down the drain, our standing in the community lost, even our children harassed.
The FBI knocks again
Research in the Los Angeles basin in 1999 revealed that, when lindane shampoos were rinsed down the drain, the pesticide readily contaminated the effluent and eventually the downstream waterways.
Last Call for Lindane
Due to a global economic crisis, demand for raw materials fell and the Argentine economy went down the drain.
The Limits of Convergence
Family household procedures are identified that can extend the life of the system, such as conserving water and restricting substances washed down the drain.
Need to know more about septic tanks?
Expensive perfumes from Cartier, Lancome and Chanel have all been poured down the drain.
Pets: Furious readers bin scent in animal protest
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