down the drain

1. 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.

Example Sentences

A new wave of smart toilet technology captures some of the data we flush down the drain—and aims to unlock health clues contained within.

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A new wave of hardware like Dekoda captures the data we flush down the drain—and aims to unlock health clues contained within.

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Burcu Yesilyurt, who lives in Kew, said she thought she was acting "responsibly" when she poured out a small amount of coffee from her reusable cup down the drain rather than risk spilling it on the bus she was about to catch to work.

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"If the extension doesn't happen, we are looking at the $10m investment going down the drain," a worried Mr Maluki explains.

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As it was, near-monsoon conditions on this quarter-final Sunday washed those ideas down the drain.

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