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to go down the tube
01
to experience a significant decline, failure, or deterioration in a situation, project, or endeavor
![to [go] down the [tube] definition and meaning](https://cdn.langeek.co/photo/40765/original/?type=jpeg "to [go] down the [tube] definition and meaning")
Disapproving
IdiomWhat is the origin of the idiom "go down the tube" and when to use it?
The idiom “go down the tube” is believed to have originated in the 1930s, when people would throw unwanted items down the sewer pipes. Over time, the phrase came to be used in a figurative sense to describe anything that is going to waste or being ruined.
Examples
After investing all their savings in the stock market, they watched as their portfolio went down the tube.
The artist's career was on the rise, but after a series of bad reviews and cancelled shows, it went down the tubes.
