go down the drain
Synonym of go down the toilet: to fail.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“All my hard work went down the drain.”
“The project failed, and months of careful planning went down the drain.”
“Without proper funding, the ambitious startup saw its years of research and development go down the drain overnight.”
- 01
all dressed up and nowhere to go
Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.
- 02
all systems go
Everything is ready.
- 03
as you go
While one is doing (something); as one progresses.
- 04
boldly go where no man has gone before
To break new ground.
- 05
brain drain
The migration of educated or talented people from less economically advanced areas to more economically advanced areas, especially to large cities or more developed nations.
- 06
circle the drain
To be in a rapid decline or in a state of downfall, especially as leading to an inevitable utter failure or destruction.
- 07
come and go
To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.
- 08
don't go there
Do not broach that topic.
Last updated August 10, 2026