That broken ladder is an accident waiting to happen.
accident waiting to happen
idiomA thing or situation which is almost certain to eventually lead to an accident.
Origin
disputed originAttested 1930s.
The factory floor was cluttered with loose wires and heavy boxes, making it an accident waiting to happen.
By ignoring the structural cracks in the foundation for so many years, the landlord allowed the building to become an accident waiting to happen.
- 01
accident of birth
A fact, situation, or personal characteristic, which may be desirable or undesirable, resulting from the circumstances into which a person was born, and which is therefore entirely beyond their control.
- 02
couldn't happen to a nicer
Sarcastically asserts that those in question thoroughly deserve their fate.
- 03
happen along
To arrive by chance; to occur by happenstance.
- 04
have an accident
To urinate or defecate somewhere other than a toilet.
- 05
make happen
To realize, to cause or bring about a thing.
- 06
ready and waiting
Already prepared for action or use.
- 07
waiting game
A strategy or course of action in which one or more parties refrain from direct action until circumstances change in their favor.