in a tailspin
1
8.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
en un caos
- After receiving the unexpected news, she felt her life in a tailspin.
- the economy in a tailspin
- a career in a tailspin
Examples
-
They are in a tailspin, and I believe they will be a niche player—if they exist at all—before it's all said and done.
Blog text (7) -
It was amazing to watch Rove's little dispute with the Ohio numbers, and the trip backstage was probably the strongest point of unprofessional ridiculousness, but for about 2-3 solid hours they were in a tailspin...
Blog text (32) -
This was a loss, folks, and this season is officially in a tailspin.
Blog text (28) -
And you, you spend some moments in a tailspin asking yourself how, what, what just happened, you know, and the future you don't know.
-
The fiscal cliff has economists and politicians in a tailspin.
Blog text (8) -
In the aftermath of the OPEC-induced oil crisis of 1973, the Indian economy was in a tailspin.
Academic text (1997) -
Her career suddenly in a tailspin, she decides to move back to Silver City with Jeff, who flees New York after the failure of his play and buys a farm where he can write free from the distractions—he would say the decadence—of city life.
Academic text (2000) -
Since that highlight-reel moment, Garza's been in a tailspin, getting dominated by Dustin Poirier and then completely outwrestled by Dennis Bermudez in consecutive bouts.
Blog text (26) -
The company's sudden drop in sales left its management team in a tailspin.
-
When the stock market crashed, many investors found themselves in a tailspin.
Synonyms
34
4.0
Feeling unsteady in body or mind after something sudden
10
7.2
A time when a person feels out of control and confused
9
5.0
A confused, disorganized situation where things are not in order
8
5.3
Very noisy and upset because people are angry or worried
6
5.1
Feeling confused or lost about your place among others
2
7.9
Feeling confused and unable to think clearly after something unexpected
2
9.9
Confused and unable to think clearly after something unexpected
Feeling overwhelmed by many confusing problems you cannot control
With much hurry and disorder
Feeling very confused and full of strong emotions
In a confused, hurried way with no order
Antonyms
How Panicked
- Informal
193
4.2
- Informal
1
8.2
19
4.3
- UK
12
5.9
- Informal
68
4.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The core image comes from a literal aviation 'tailspin' (spinning out of control), so a learner who knows the parts can infer a general sense of loss of control. However, the specific idiomatic extension to emotional or organizational panic/crisis is metaphorical and not fully predictable without exposure, so comprehension is only partial.
Etymology
The phrase in a tailspin may come from the image of an airplane suddenly spinning with its tail down. So, when someone is in a tailspin, they are 'out of control' and very confused.