a fallen angel

fallen angel

1. An angel who has rebelled against God and has been subsequently cast out of heaven. The Bible describes Lucifer as having become a fallen angel after he desired to become God rather than be a servant of God.
2. In finance, a stock or bond that has drastically declined in value. Try to avoid investing in fallen angels—they may have been highly priced once, but they will never return to their original value.
3. A company or organization that was previously successful but is currently failing. The high school's debate team was this year's fallen angel, losing all of their competitions after being dominant last year.
See also: angel, fallen
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

a fallen angel

1. If someone is a fallen angel, they were once well-behaved, but are now badly-behaved. She went from shy posh girl to fallen angel, before going all the way to tragic heroine.
2. If a company or a sports team is a fallen angel, they were once successful, but are now unsuccessful. The firm was a fallen angel that halved in value but has since recovered.
See also: angel, fallen
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
See also:
  • fallen angel
  • destroying angel
  • you're an angel
  • angel
  • angel dust
  • guardian angel
  • oil of angels
  • the angel in the house
  • angel in the house
  • angel hair
References in periodicals archive
Looking at the rate at which nonfinancial corporate issuers became fallen angels in the period 1999 through 2013, Moody's finds a spike in the likelihood of becoming a fallen angel during the 2001-03 recession, but no corresponding elevation during 2008-09 great recession.
Moody's notes that the lower the rating assigned at the date a firm became a fallen angel, the more likely that firm was to later default.
Moody's: No surge in "fallen angels" during financial crisis
Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu in unimaginative sequel with Demi Moore as a fallen angel.
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