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

"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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“Let us not forget what this political theater is costing us all — millions of taxpayer dollars down the drain and an atrophy to the readiness of guardsmembers across the nation and unnecessary hardships to the families supporting those troops,” Newsom said in a statement.

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We do, chimed in Rebecca Willi, 74, a retired hospice worker, but “all the things we stand for are going down the drain,” and if the redistricting in Texas goes forward, “we have to offset it because there is too much at stake.”

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She said flat owners' and taxpayers' money had gone "down the drain", adding: "We've been totally drained for years."

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