wither on the vine

Idioms  

1. Fail to come to fruition, as in This building project will wither on the vine if they don't agree on a price. This expression alludes to grapes shriveling and drying up because they were not picked when ripe.

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Example Sentences

We do need to eliminate poverty for older Americans, but the answer lies in strengthening SSI, which has been allowed to wither on the vine.

From MarketWatch

And I suppose it depends on how often you’ve watched perfectly good social plans wither on the vine as everyone retreats to their corners to consult calendars, propose alternate dates, and apologize profusely for being busy.

From Salon

It’s turbocharging the runaway market leader, leaving the other studios’ streaming services to wither on the vine.

From Slate

It is just going to wither on the vine.

From Salon

The price of red grapes has barely covered their production costs, prompting some growers to simply let them wither on the vine, while others accepted contracts well below the cost of production, Mr. McLean said.

From New York Times