goner

be a goner

1. slang To be facing imminent and inevitable death, ruin, or failure. If he jumps out of that plane and his parachute doesn't open, he's a goner. This town used to be nice when I was a kid, but it's a goner now. Nothing here anymore but old-timers too stubborn to leave. Our company's a goner if the bank doesn't approve us for this loan.
2. slang To be facing imminent and inevitable punishment or repercussions. I'm a goner if my parents find out I dented the car. A: "I think the boss found out about the equipment we took over the weekend." B: "Uh oh, we're goners."
See also: goner

goner

A person or thing that is doomed or destined for failure. If he jumps out of that plane and his parachute doesn't open, he's a goner. I'm a goner if my parents find out I dented the car.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

(a) goner

a dead or dying creature or person. The boy brought the sick fish back to the pet store to get his money back. "This one is a goner," he said. John thought he was a goner when his parachute didn't open.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

a goner

Something or someone that is dead, doomed, ruined, or past recovery, as in If this new drug doesn't work, he's a goner; or Without a working transmission, my car's a goner. Synonyms of this idiom, such as a gone goose or chicken or gosling , are no longer heard as much. [Slang; mid-1800s]
See also: goner
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

goner

(ˈgɔnɚ)
n. someone or something finished or nearly finished. The horse was a goner, so it had to be destroyed.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • be a goner
  • a goner
  • circle the drain
  • circling the drain
  • ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for (someone or something)
  • toll
  • be going to hell
  • it is all up with
  • it is all up with (someone or something)
  • the kiss of death
References in periodicals archive
"I panicked at first as I'd never seen him swim before - I really thought he was a goner," he said.
EWE BULLY; Dog survives huge fall into sea after being barged off cliff by a sheep
If the infection spread, he was a goner. It's been an incredibly worrying time."
Tom was floored by two superbugs after a simple op. It makes you worry about the hygiene in that place; FORMER LABOUR MINISTER THREATENS TO SUEFriend reveals ex-MP's hospital ordeal
I'm afraid the 'duke' was a goner. This weekend I'm going to rummage through my drawers for a bargain.
Letter: TV's bad example
Departments throughout the Government, including the Treasury, Prime Minister's Office, Department of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Defence, will now be protected by a new line of defence against the growing dangers posed by mass mailing viruses such as Lovebug, Sircam and Goner.
First line of defence against viruses
The most recent exploit, dubbed "Goner," wreaked havoc with the email systems of thousands of companies worldwide causing millions of dollars in estimated damage due to lost productivity.
TRUSECURE SUCCESSFULLY PROTECTS E-MAIL AGAINST VIRUSES
In order to be activated, "Goner" requires a user himself to manually launch the worm-carrier file (GONE.SCR) that will initiate the target computer infection routine.
Goner: ICQ-loving Internet-worm. (Virus Notes)
Four Israeli high school students have admitted to creating the "Goner" e-mail worm, which started spreading rapidly last week.
Israeli Teens Arrested for 'Goner' Worm
Experts described the virus, called Goner, as one of the fastest-spreading they had yet seen and warned computer users to immediately delete it if they received it."
Virus hits computers
Chuck Robb, the profligate son-in-law of LBJ, was a goner. The ballroom was emptying out so I headed back to the RNC to see how they were holding up in apparent victory.
All Losers' Night
The 41-year-old thought he was a goner, even though passersby bundled him into a car and rushed him to the nearest hospital emergency room.
No Wonder Cowboys Wear Those Things
"Now, you just need one mutation and you're a goner," says Hurst.
Battle of the Sexes
So if you get stuck in a rip current, are you a goner? Not if you know how to beat a rip.
Baywatch's rips & recues
Another dancer who believes that she is "a goner" if she pays attention to the competition is Dawn Ann Bryant, whose ultimate goal is to choreograph.
Turning out for Twyla: how to survive a national audition
Or in other words, that's why the Other (it's an internal and eternal affair) is the goner who is at the same time immortal.
The Transparency of Evil: Essays on Extreme Phenomena
Still, in the end, the point is made: Chapter I I is a cure that's often deadlier than the disease; if a company was in trouble before it sought protection, it's a likely goner afterwards.
A Feast for Lawyers: Inside Chapter 11: An Expose