Down the tubes Meaning in English
expression
ˈdaʊn/ /ˈðə/, /ðə/, /ði/ /ˈtubz
DOWN thuh TOOBZ
dˈaʊn/ /ðə, ði/ /tjˈuːbz
DOWN thuh TYOOBZ
Definition
If something goes 'down the tubes,' it completely fails, is wasted, or is ruined.
Usage & Nuances
Informal, mostly used to talk about plans, money, work, or opportunities that are wasted or have failed. Alternatives: 'down the drain.' Often used after something goes wrong: 'Everything went down the tubes.' Not used for people.
Spanish: al garete - a la ruina - perdidoPortuguese (BR): por água abaixo - pro ralo - desperdiçadoPortuguese (PT): pelo cano abaixo - arruinadoChinese (Simplified): 泡汤了 - 毁了Chinese (Traditional): 泡湯了 - 毀了Hindi: बरबाद हो गया - पानी में चला गयाArabic: ذهب أدراج الرياح - ضاعBengali: পানিতে গেছে - বরবাদ হয়ে গেছেRussian: пошло коту под хвостJapanese: 水の泡になる - 台無しになるVietnamese: đổ xuống sông xuống biển - đi tongKorean: 물거품이 되다 - 망하다Turkish: çöpe gitmek - heba olmakUrdu: ضائع ہو جانا - برباد ہو جاناIndonesian: sia-sia - hancur
Example Sentences
All our plans went down the tubes after the storm.
basic
My savings went down the tubes because of the medical bills.
basic
The project went down the tubes when we lost our funding.
basic
After the merger, all my hard work just went down the tubes.
natural
One mistake and the whole deal could go down the tubes.
natural
If the software crashes now, weeks of work will go down the tubes.
natural