down the tubes

down the tube(s)

Awry; in a state of deterioration or failure. You got a C average? Boy, your grades have really gone down the tubes this semester. We had big plans for our trip, but the terrible weather made it all go down the tube.
See also: down
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

down the tubes

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.
See also: down, tube
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
See also:
References in classic literature ?
Maston knew no bounds, and he narrowly escaped a frightful fall while staring down the tube. But for the strong hand of Colonel Blomsberry, the worthy secretary, like a modern Erostratus, would have found his death in the depths of the Columbiad.
"The bottom line is, I know you like me, this is a love fest, but you have no choice but to vote for me because your 401(k)'s down the tubes. Everything is going to be down the tubes," Trump said.
Look what's happened to Iran, Iran's going down the tubes." Asked if the US is going to have a war with Iran, Trump responded "I hope we don't but we're in a very strong position if something should happen, we're in a very strong position, it wouldn't last very long I can tell you that.
That kind of relative inflexibility means they need their Op Specs to cut them some slack when the weather is down the tubes.
well all of those things you have done have all gone down the tubes in just four days."
Coffee cuts women's chances of becoming pregnant These cells coordinate tube contractions so that when they are inhibited, eggs can't move down the tubes. "This provides an intriguing explanation as to why women with high caffeine consumption often take longer to conceive than women who do not consume caffeine," Ward stated.
Thanks to the digital world, my job has gone down the tubes. Have you ever seen so many photojournalists offer workshops?
Nick Clegg's alternative vote fiasco meant some PS90m down the tubes and now we have this rail franchise calamity whereby it is estimated that the cost will be around PS40m.
Other small countries, with less natural resources, do things for themselves and are prospering while we go down the tubes. Why don't we care?
The pull of gravity propels riders down the tubes, while water reduces friction, or resistance to movement when two objects rub together, making the slides' plastic surfaces slippery.
If our entire society wasn't going down the tubes, I don't know that I would be as enthusiastic about lo-fimusic as I currently am.
The project, funded by Severn Trent Water, involved many of the creatures crawling down the tubes and into three ponds on the site.