train wreck

Or train·wreck

[trein-rek]

noun

1. an accident in which a train or trains are severely damaged.

2. Slang.,  a person who has experienced a personal failure, disaster, etc.

3. Slang.,  a disastrous situation, occurrence, or process.

   His football career has been a train wreck.

train wreck

noun

1. an incident in which a train is severely damaged

2. informal,  something or someone that has suffered ruin or calamity

Word History and Origins

Origin of train wreck¹

First recorded in 1870–75