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

Four of the eight tubes also featured elaborate bull figurines with a hole through the middle, which could move up and down the tubes with ease.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2022

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2021

"The commercial drive to develop any products just went down the tubes," said Sheahan.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2021

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also questioned whether directors should pay themselves "large sums of money" as their businesses go "down the tubes".

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2019

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