down the tubes

Idioms  

1. Also, down the tube. Into a state of failure or ruin, as in If he failed the test, his chances went down the tubes. ] Colloquial; 1960s] Also see down the drain.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

down the tubes

"From that point on I have always had a soft spot for them, but I started focusing on them more and more as Scottish football started to go down the tubes a little bit."

From BBC ● Feb. 29, 2024

Cohen might consider refreshing her palette before taking the Greeks, in toto, down the tubes again.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 12, 2021

From the outset, that pipe dream seemed perpetually in danger of going down the tubes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2021

I’m distressed to think Seattle is going down the tubes and hope voters take time to study each candidate up for election.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 23, 2021

If you go and tell your boss that you’ve found Marburg virus and you are wrong, your career goes down the tubes.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston