pattern

Failure - Deterioration

Discover how English idioms like "on the ropes" and "fan the flames" relate to deterioration in English.

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English idioms related to Failure
to add fuel to the fire

to intensify a disagreement or argument

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [add] fuel to the fire\"
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

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [add] insult to injury\"
to fan the flames

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [fan] the flames\"
to go to hell in (a) handbasket

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [go] to hell in (a|) (handbasket|handbag)\"
to go to the dogs

to deteriorate or decline significantly

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [go] to the dogs\"
to have seen better days

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [have] (seen|known) better days\"
to shoot oneself in the foot

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [shoot] {oneself} in the foot\"
double whammy

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"double whammy\"
on one's last legs

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"on {one's} last legs\"
on the ropes

very likely to be defeated or completely fail

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Definition & Meaning of \"on the ropes\"
out of the frying pan (and) into the fire

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"out of the frying pan (and|) into the fire\"
worse for wear

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"worse for wear\"
the balloon goes up

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"the balloon [goes] up\"
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

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [come] to a grinding halt\"
to grind to a halt

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [grind] to a halt\"
to go to the Devil

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

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Definition & Meaning of \"to [go] to the Devil\"
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