down the drain

Related to down the drain: go down the drain

down the drain

1. In a state of failure or ruination. My father's company is now going down the drain because of the incompetent new CEO.
2. Squandered or wastefully discarded. All of our savings have gone down the drain ever since Jack had his little gambling spree in Las Vegas.
See also: down, drain
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

down the drain

On the way to being lost or wasted; disappearing. For example, Buying new furniture when they can't take it with them is just pouring money down the drain , or During the Depression huge fortunes went down the drain. This metaphoric term alludes to water going down a drain and being carried off. [Colloquial; c. 1920] For a synonym, see down the tubes.
See also: down, drain
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

down the drain

BRITISH, AMERICAN or

down the tubes

BRITISH, AMERICAN or

down the pan

BRITISH
COMMON If something is going down the drain, down the tubes or down the pan, it is getting worse or being destroyed and it is unlikely to recover. They were aware that their public image was rapidly going down the drain. People don't like to see marriages going down the tubes. Note: Words such as plughole and toilet are sometimes used instead of drain. Neil admitted recently that long working hours mean his personal life has gone down the toilet.
1. If money, work, or time has gone down the drain, down the tubes or down the pan, it has been lost or wasted. Over the years, the government has poured billions of dollars down the drain propping up its national airlines and other firms. You have ruined everything — my perfect plans, my great organization. All those years of work are down the drain. Note: Words such as plughole and toilet are sometimes used instead of drain. Millions of dollars have gone down the plughole.
See also: down, drain
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

down the drain

totally wasted or spoilt. informal
1930 W. Somerset Maugham The Breadwinner All his savings are gone down the drain.
See also: down, drain
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

(go) down the ˈdrain

(British English also (go) down the ˈplughole) (informal) (be) wasted or lost; (get) much worse: He watched his business, which had taken so long to build up, go slowly down the drain.
See also: down, drain
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

down the drain

mod. gone; wasted. A lot of money went down the drain in that Wilson deal.
See also: down, drain
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

down the drain

To or into the condition of being wasted or lost: All of our best laid plans are down the drain.
See also: down, drain
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

down the drain

Wasted resources. The term, alluding to water flowing down a drain, was transferred to expending effort or funds on a useless enterprise. “Well, fancy giving money to the Government! Might as well have put it down the drain,” wrote Sir Alan Patrick Herbert (1890–1971) in Too Much. To go down the drain means to become worthless. It was so used by W. Somerset Maugham (The Breadwinner, 1930): “All his savings are gone down the drain.”
See also: down, drain
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • down the toilet
  • toilet
  • in the gutter
  • dumper
  • in the dumper
  • go down the drain
  • into the toilet
  • shitter
  • in the shitter
  • into the gutter
References in periodicals archive
Investing in a drain basket will cost a lot less than calling out a plumber, and will stop a lot of food debris from going down the drain in your kitchen sink.
How you can make stinky drains smell sweet again; Smelly sinks are a common household nuisance. JOSH STEIN spells out some simple steps to help solve the problem
Down the Drain begins by calling out Canadians for being one of the most wasteful countries in the world of water resources.
Authors expose urgency of Canadian water protection
There's a baffle inside the waste tee that is meant to direct water down the drain, but since the baffled area is narrower than the rest of the drain, food often gets stuck there.
Unclog a kitchen sink
Sgt Dave Coxon poured between 60 and 70 bottles of drink seized from youngsters down the drain of the Framwellgate Moor section office.
70 bottles of drink seized
Another question that was raised was whether it was acceptable to dump waste ink down the drain. While it may appear on the surface to be acceptable since the material is 70 percent water, it is not an acceptable practice for two reasons.
What is proper ink waste disposal?
"Together this can potentially be a toxic mix, capable of causing extensive environmental damage, and, quite rightly, washing this down the drain contravenes UK regulations.
Ignorance is no defence
Some contain alkyphenol ethoxylates (APEs), suspected hormone disruptors that can threaten wildlife after they go down the drain. Inhalation of vapors from butyl cellosolve, used as a solvent to dissolve grease, may irritate the respiratory tract and cause nausea, headaches, dizziness and unconsciousness.
Spic and span: a greener approach to cleaning products
You might then prevent the detergent from going down the drain with the dirt.
Tricky transformation: bubbling gases tighten, then loosen, the grip of novel molecules on grime
THE figures are almost unbelievable: the equivalent of 170 litres of top quality drinking water, per home, per day, seven days a week, day and night, down the drain - that's more than a quarter of North Wales' water supply.
YOUR VOICE IN WALES: It's money down the drain too
In this case, the product was dropped vertically down the pipe, inflated like a balloon--or really an angioplasty--and set into place, workers sent small robots down the drain spouts to cut material out from the Y intersections, thus allowing rainwater to run from roof to ground without making a detour via the temple's ornate ceiling.
Temple Emanu-El renovations near completion
According to Jackie Schroeder, Range Kleen special accounts manager, the Fat Trapper is an environmentally friendly product that gives consumers a way to dispose of used cooking grease instead of pouring it down the drain or flushing it down the toilet.
RANGE KLEEN'S ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORT HITS L.A
Millions or billions of dollars go down the drain with a mind-set that allows for the willing suspension of disbelief--that somehow those commercials will promote sales of your products and services.
Why ad agencies don't advertise: their eyes on prizes, they know the ROI isn't always there
Pour indicates a flow, either literally ('He poured the water down the drain') or figuratively ('The rioters poured through the streets')" (Bryson).
Divorce court is now open for these troublesome couples
He told Belval, "You know, Peter, I really do enjoy passing the water pitchers, but it really bothers me that when I finish collecting all the old water, I just pour it down the drain. How can we reuse this water?" Seeing the frustration on Dunn's face, Belval realized how much it must bother this man to throw away perfectly usable water.
Recycling to regenerate life
Not only has the company lost the client's future revenue, but all the time and effort that went into developing the relationship goes down the drain, too.
Tracking dormant accounts