Idiom Topics

  • The Ubiquitous Essentials

    10
    • On the other hand
    • At the end of the day
    • In the long run
    • Bear in mind
    • A piece of cake
    • Keep an eye on
    • Out of the blue
    • Rule of thumb
    • So far, so good
    • Behind the scenes

  • Everyday Casual & Workplace

    10
    • Under the weather
    • Call it a day
    • Up in the air
    • Wrap your head around
    • Break the ice
    • Get out of hand
    • Go the extra mile
    • Touch base
    • Hit the nail on the head
    • Cut corners

  • Problem Solving & Interaction

    10
    • See eye to eye
    • Read between the lines
    • Take it with a grain of salt
    • Get the hang of it
    • Give the benefit of the doubt
    • The elephant in the room
    • Hit the ground running
    • Play it by ear
    • Bite the bullet
    • Sit on the fence

  • Decisions & Perspectives

    9
    • Jump on the bandwagon
    • Cross that bridge when we come to it
    • The best of both worlds
    • A blessing in disguise
    • Once in a blue moon
    • Pull someone's leg
    • Miss the boat
    • Better late than never
    • Get your act together

  • Colorful & Traditional

    10
    • Spill the beans
    • Let the cat out of the bag
    • Bite off more than you can chew
    • Go back to the drawing board
    • Barking up the wrong tree
    • Actions speak louder than words
    • A penny for your thoughts
    • Break a leg
    • Hit the sack
    • Beat around the bush

  • Academic & Formal Discourse

    10
    • Bear fruit
    • Pave the way
    • Shed light on
    • Go hand in hand
    • Tip the scales
    • Fly in the face of
    • Bring to the table
    • Turn a blind eye
    • Draw a blank
    • State of the art

  • Emotions & Reactions

    10
    • Over the moon
    • Down in the dumps
    • On edge
    • Blow off steam
    • Keep your cool
    • Drive someone up the wall
    • On cloud nine
    • A weight off my shoulders
    • At your wits' end
    • Thrilled to bits

  • Effort, Success, & Failure

    10
    • Start from scratch
    • Pass with flying colors
    • Fall flat
    • Go down the drain
    • Keep your head above water
    • Pay off
    • Throw in the towel
    • Make headway
    • Uphill battle
    • Back to square one

  • Time, Speed, & Urgency

    10
    • Beat the clock
    • At the eleventh hour
    • Around the clock
    • In the nick of time
    • Drag your feet
    • Time flies
    • Make up for lost time
    • Call time on
    • Ahead of the curve
    • On the spur of the moment

  • Resources, Money, & Value

    10
    • Make ends meet
    • Foot the bill
    • Break the bank
    • Tighten your belt
    • Bang for your buck
    • A drop in the ocean
    • Make a killing
    • On a shoestring budget
    • Worth your weight in gold
    • Pay top dollar

Go down the drain

Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Go down the drain" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourEffort, Success, & Failure collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.

Effort, Success, & Failure

Go down the drain

Go down the drain
To be completely wasted, ruined, or lost entirely; usually said of money, time, effort, or an opportunity.
History & Origin

The phrase originated in the 19th century with the widespread implementation of modern indoor plumbing and municipal sewer systems. It draws a direct parallel between wastewater disappearing permanently into a pipe and intangible assets like wealth or effort being irrevocably lost. The vivid imagery of something being swept away by water made it a popular metaphor for irreversible waste.

Examples
Workplace Email

If management decides to cancel the project now, six months of hard work by the development team will go down the drain.

Casual Conversation

I forgot to save my document before my computer crashed, and my whole afternoon's effort just went down the drain.

Academic Writing

Without proper governance and financial oversight, billions of dollars in foreign aid risk going down the drain due to systemic corruption.

News/Media

The athlete's dreams of an Olympic gold medal went down the drain after a severe knee injury during the semi-finals.

Formal Speech

We must invest these public resources wisely, ensuring that taxpayer funds do not simply go down the drain on short-term political projects.

Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?

A. She went down the drain to the basement to fetch a flashlight during the power outage.

B. After the stock market crashed, all of his lifetime savings went down the drain in a matter of hours.

C. If you study hard every single day, your exam grades will surely go down the drain.

D. He poured the remaining soup to go down the drain so that we could save it for dinner tomorrow.