Definition & Meaning of "Go down the tube"

go down the tube

/ɡˌəʊ dˌaʊn ðə tjˈuːbz/

/ɡˌoʊ dˌaʊn ðə tˈuːbz/

to go down the tube

PHRASE

to experience a significant decline, failure, or deterioration in a situation, project, or endeavor

to [go] down the [tube] definition and meaning

What 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.