go to the dogs
To decline or deteriorate shockingly.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The local park is going to the dogs.”
“Many residents worry that the city center is going to the dogs due to poor maintenance.”
“Observers argued that the once-prosperous company was going to the dogs after years of mismanagement and declining product quality.”
- 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
buy a dog and bark oneself
To do something that one has hired someone else to do.
- 06
call off the dogs
To ease up on after inflicting great punishment.
- 07
cat and dog life
An unhappy married life marked by arguments and disagreements.
- 08
come and go
To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.
Last updated August 10, 2026