pattern

Mislukking - Deterioration

Ontdek hoe Engelse uitdrukkingen zoals "on the ropes" en "fan the flames" verband houden met achteruitgang in het Engels.

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English idioms related to Failure
to [add] fuel to the fire

to intensify a disagreement or argument

olie op het vuur gooien, een gespannen situatie verder laten escaleren

olie op het vuur gooien, een gespannen situatie verder laten escaleren

Ex: His comment only added fuel to the fire. 
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to [add] insult to injury

to worsen a bad situation by doing or saying something hurtful or disrespectful, in addition to the harm that has already been caused

zout in de wond strooien, het nog erger maken

zout in de wond strooien, het nog erger maken

Ex: After firing him, the manager added insult to injury by blaming him in front of everyone. 
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to [fan] the flames

to worsen a bad, unpleasant, or dangerous situation for someone or something

olie op het vuur gooien, de boel opstoken

olie op het vuur gooien, de boel opstoken

Ex: His angry speech only fanned the flames of the protest. 
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to [go] to hell in (a|) (handbasket|handbag)

to rapidly and irreversibly deteriorate or decline in a manner that is likely to result in a bad outcome or failure

helemaal bergaf gaan, snel achteruitgaan

helemaal bergaf gaan, snel achteruitgaan

Ex: After the new manager arrived, the whole department went to hell in a handbasket. 
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to [go] to the dogs

to deteriorate or decline significantly

achteruitgaan, verpauperen

achteruitgaan, verpauperen

Ex: The neighborhood went to the dogs after the factories closed. 
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to [have] (seen|known) better days

to be in a very poor condition, particularly compared to the past

in slechte staat, er slecht aan toe

in slechte staat, er slecht aan toe

Ex: This old sofa has seen better days, but it is still comfortable. 
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to [shoot] {oneself} in the foot

to unintentionally do something that harms oneself or one's own interests

zichzelf in de vingers snijden, zichzelf benadelen

zichzelf in de vingers snijden, zichzelf benadelen

Ex: By refusing to apologize, he shot himself in the foot. 
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double whammy
double whammy
[zelfstandig naamwoord]

a situation in which one gets affected by two unpleasant or unfortunate events that happen at once

dubbele klap, dubbele pech

dubbele klap, dubbele pech

Ex: Losing his job and getting sick in the same week was a double whammy. 
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on {one's} last legs

in a very poor condition or near the end of their lifespan or usefulness

op zijn laatste benen, bijna versleten

op zijn laatste benen, bijna versleten

Ex: My old laptop is on its last legs and crashes every hour. 
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on the ropes
on the ropes
[Zinsdeel]

very likely to be defeated or completely fail

op het punt te verliezen, in het nauw

op het punt te verliezen, in het nauw

Ex: After losing three major clients, the company is on the ropes. 
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out of the frying pan (and|) into the fire

used when one moves from a bad situation into a worse one

van de regen in de drup, van kwaad tot erger

van de regen in de drup, van kwaad tot erger

Ex: She left a stressful job, but her new boss is even worse; it was out of the frying pan into the fire. 
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worse for wear
worse for wear
[Zinsdeel]

used to describe someone who is really tired after an exhaustive physical activity

helemaal uitgeput, bekaf

helemaal uitgeput, bekaf

Ex: After the long hike, we were all worse for wear. 
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the balloon [goes] up

used to indicate that a situation is about to become tense, difficult, or critical

het wordt menens, de spanning loopt op

het wordt menens, de spanning loopt op

Ex: When the audit starts tomorrow, the balloon goes up. 
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to [come] to a grinding halt

to suddenly and completely stop, often in a dramatic or unexpected manner, implying a sense of frustration, disappointment, or failure

volledig stilvallen, plots vastlopen

volledig stilvallen, plots vastlopen

Ex: The project came to a grinding halt when the funding was cut. 
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a sinking ship
a sinking ship
[Zinsdeel]

a situation, organization, or plan that seems likely to fail

Ex: The company looked like a sinking ship. 
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to [take] a turn for the worse

to suddenly become worse

Ex: The weather took a turn for the worse. 
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to [hold] together by a thread

to barely keep a situation from falling apart

Ex: The plan was holding together by a thread. 
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to [go] from bad to worse

to become increasingly worse

Ex: The meeting went from bad to worse after the argument began. 
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to [take] a nosedive

to suddenly become much worse

Ex: Sales took a nosedive after the bad review. 
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to [run] {oneself} into the ground

to exhaust or harm oneself by working or training too hard

Ex: She ran herself into the ground during exam week. 
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to [take] a step backward

to seem to lose progress or move away from improvement

Ex: The team took a step backward after the strong start. 
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to [grind] to a halt

to slowly come to a complete stop after gradually losing speed or power

geleidelijk stilvallen, langzaam tot stilstand komen

geleidelijk stilvallen, langzaam tot stilstand komen

Ex: The old train ground to a halt just outside the station. 
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to [go] to the Devil

to become ruined or destroyed, often due to a person's own actions or neglect

naar de knoppen gaan, ten onder gaan

naar de knoppen gaan, ten onder gaan

Ex: He let the business go to the Devil by ignoring every warning. 
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