to wither on the vine
3
8.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
marchitarse
- If the government fails to provide funding, the new educational program will wither on the vine.
- let it wither on the vine
You get to the point of two officers of the court lying underoath and you watch them wither on the vine.
- You get to the point of two officers of the court lying underoath and you watch them wither on the vine.
Examples
-
I voted Democratic all my life, but this nonsense about not passing budgets, putting healthcare ahead of job creation, and allowing the tax base to wither on the vine is crazy.
Blog text (2) -
I'm withering on the vine here.
-
This relentless focus on London just leaves the rest of the country to wither on the vine.
Blog text (31) -
Conveniently, those places don't generally vote for the progressives, so we wither on the vine out here.
Blog text (7) -
The tricky plan works until Jack realizes that his conscience won't allow him to let his little brother's trust and excitement wither on the vine.
Fiction book (1999) -
Perhaps initially, affirmative action was necessary to correct a terrible imbalance due to racism and prejudice, but after a decade or so that policy should have withered on the vine and died.
Blog text (9) -
This is one of the main reasons why America has degenerated into a mobocracy and all semblance of a Constitutional Republic has withered on the vine.
Blog text (33) -
The community garden project withered on the vine due to lack of volunteers.
-
Without proper support, her promising idea quickly withered on the vine.
Synonyms
105
3.2
Become weaker or less able over time
91
4.4
To become dry and weak, as with plants or feelings
11
6.5
Stop taking part or trying because of problems
6
4.6
Fail to produce any result
1
7.5
Stop taking part because it becomes too difficult
Antonyms
How Successful
86
3.0
846
2.0
- Informal
3
8.2
- Informal
8
5.3
898
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'wither' (to dry and weaken) with 'on the vine' (remaining on the plant), so a learner who knows the words can reasonably infer a sense of something failing to develop or drying up before fruition. However, the expression is a metaphorical extension used idiomatically to imply neglect or failure to be acted on, so the precise pragmatic nuance may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Wither on the vine comes from the image of fruit left on a grape vine that slowly withers and dries up when no one picks or cares for it. So a plan or idea that is ignored will 'fail to grow'.