The company is failing and everyone sees the writing on the wall.
writing on the wall
idiomAn ominous warning; a prediction of bad luck.
Origin
disputed originFrom the Biblical story in Daniel 5, where, during a feast held by King Belshazzar, a hand suddenly appears and writes on a wall the following Aramaic words: מְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִין (mənē mənē təqēl ūp̄arsīn, “numbered, numbered, weighed, and they are divided”) (Daniel 5:25). Daniel interprets the words as pointing to the downfall of the Babylonian Empire.
After the manager resigned and sales dropped, the staff saw the writing on the wall for the department.
Despite the optimistic speeches from the board, the sudden departure of key investors served as the writing on the wall for the struggling enterprise.
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back to the wall
A very difficult situation with no beneficial options available for action.
- 02
balls to the wall
With maximum effort or commitment.
- 03
bang one's head against a brick wall
To waste effort on a futile project.
- 04
blue wall of silence
Strict secretiveness maintained by the members of a police force with respect to information which might be contrary to their interests, especially information concerning questionable police actions.
- 05
break the fourth wall
To apparently communicate with reality directly, such as when characters of literature comment on the existence of a reader.
- 06
Chinese Wall
An information barrier within an organization, designed to ensure internal confidentiality; frequently used to prevent conflicts of interest.
- 07
drive someone up the wall
To make a person very angry or frustrated; to infuriate.
- 08
fly on the wall
A quiet, non-participating, or unseen observer; an eavesdropper or witness.