in the toilet
8
9.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
en la ruina
- Our community relations are in the toilet.
- self-esteem is in the toilet
- careers are in the toilet
- business was in the toilet
Some days are amazing, some days are in the toilet.
- Some days are amazing, some days are in the toilet.
Examples
-
The US was a little beat down, as it had just gone through the long Vietnam War, the economy was in the toilet, and people were looking for something positive to latch onto.
Blog text (30) -
Education is in the toilet compared to countries like Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and China.
Blog text (32) -
His approval rating is already in the toilet.
Blog text (6) -
His approval ratings are already in the toilet.
Blog text (6) -
But then again, that's because my expectations were in the toilet.
Blog text (24) -
By the time he left office, his approval ratings were in the toilet, and it was fashionable to describe him as the worst.
Blog text (6) -
Yes, the economy is in the toilet, but surely too-high Treasury interest rates are not the crucial economic problem right now.
Blog text (21) -
Agreed, the only reason why the dollar hasn't crashed is because the euro and yen are in the toilet, and it doesn't look like either are going to rebound any time soon.
Blog text (21) -
The economy is really in the toilet due to the recent recession.
-
Many companies are finding that their profits are in the toilet this quarter.
Synonyms
23
3.8
A place or thing that is very badly damaged, often used for buildings and companies
17
6.0
Very sick or having serious money problems
5
9.6
In a very weak or failing state, often financially
2
9.9
In a very bad situation or serious trouble
1
9.9
Completely ruined or wasted and no longer useful
Antonyms
How Bad
1
3.1
7
4.9
- Informal
7
7.2
- Informal
8
9.1
∞
2.9
- Informal
1
4.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The expression uses the literal image of a toilet as a metaphor for disposal or waste, so a learner who knows the words may infer a negative or ruined sense. However, the specific idiomatic meaning 'in a very bad or unsuccessful state' and its conventional use (e.g. 'go down the toilet') are metaphorical and not fully predictable from the constituents, making the relation only partly transparent.
Etymology
In the toilet may come from the clear image of something valuable being flushed down the toilet, disappearing like waste; people used this picture to show things were lost or ruined. So the phrase now means 'in a very bad or ruined state'.