the wheels fall off
01
used to refer to something that was working or progressing well but suddenly stopped functioning or fell apart
![the wheels [fall off|come off] definition and meaning](https://cdn.langeek.co/photo/40931/original/?type=jpeg "the wheels [fall off|come off] definition and meaning")
Idiom
Informal
例
The company's financial situation was looking stable, but when a major investor pulled out, the wheels came off and the company went bankrupt.
The plan to restructure the organization was proceeding smoothly until a key manager quit, causing the wheels to fall off the whole project.
