circle the drainとは 意味・読み方・使い方

動詞

circle the drain (third-person singular simple present circles the drain, present participle circling the drain, simple past and past participle circled the drain)

1. (informal, idiomatic) To be in a rapid decline or in a state of downfall, especially as leading to an inevitable utter failure or destruction.
   • 1989 January 29, Brian D. Johnston, “L.A.'s Crippled Emergency Care:”, in Los Angeles Times, retrieved 17 October 2010:

     Our emergency medical services are, nonetheless, circling the drain.

   • 2008 October 10, Belinda Luscombe, “Just What the Economy Needs: A $5,000 Toilet”, in Time:

     Presciently, the high-end Japanese bathroom-fixtures manufacturer Toto chose a time when the economy is circling the drain to launch its newest product—a $5,000 commode with a super-efficient flush.

   • 2010, Douglas Coupland, Generation A‎, →ISBN, page 234:

     Needless to say, the guy on the phone would be watching his life circle the drain, imagining the horrific press and the life-destroying damage this false accusation would cause.

使用する際の注意点

• Often used in the present participial form: circling the drain.

参考

• down the drain
• down the tubes
• downward spiral
• go down the toilet