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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

very likely to be defeated or completely fail

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 [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

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

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