to go in the toilet
2
7.9
- idiom
- Informal
- I can't believe my plans went in the toilet so quickly!
Examples
-
His hopes of a successful launch went in the toilet when the engineers missed the deadline.
-
After the funding was cut, the project went in the toilet.
-
All our hard work went in the toilet when the computer crashed.
-
His dreams of promotion went in the toilet after he missed the deadline.
-
All my savings went in the toilet after the bad investment.
-
After the unexpected financial crisis, several of our projects went in the toilet.
-
The team's chances of winning the championship went in the toilet after their key player got injured.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Not succeed in doing something you wanted to do
656
2.4
To fail or happen in a bad way
97
4.6
Fail to make progress or get any result
56
4.1
To fail to happen or be finished as planned
32
4.0
To end without success, often in public like a show
18
5.3
To fail completely and close, especially a business or project
18
5.5
Plans or hopes suddenly fail and disappear for good
14
6.6
To be completely ruined and lose all value
10
9.9
To go very badly and fail completely
7
4.6
Fail to produce any result
4
8.4
To become very tired or stop working
3
3.5
Stop working and need repair
3
7.9
To fail or go badly wrong, especially a plan
1
8.6
Fail completely so people see it does not work
1
9.9
To pass poo or, in slang, to fail and make a mess of something
1
6.9
To fail completely in an embarrassing way
1
9.9
To become ruined and fail completely
To suddenly become chaotic and very messy
Antonyms
How Successful
827
2.0
∞
1.2
∞
1.0
32
4.0
645
3.9
- Informal
2
7.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'go', 'in', 'the', and 'toilet' will most likely interpret this as physically entering a restroom; the figurative sense 'to fail completely' or 'be ruined' is not derivable from the literal meanings of the constituents. This is an idiomatic/metaphorical use (similar to 'go down the toilet') and thus unpredictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Go in the toilet may come from the clear image of something important being flushed down a toilet and destroyed, so it is used to mean 'to fail completely' or be ruined.