down the drain

Idioms and Phrases

On the way to being lost or wasted; disappearing. For example, Buying new furniture when they can't take it with them is just pouring money down the drain , or During the Depression huge fortunes went down the drain . This metaphoric term alludes to water going down a drain and being carried off. [ Colloquial ; c. 1920] For a synonym, see down the tubes .

Example Sentences

Every year, about 350 million liters goes down the drain, costing businesses over A$580 million to dispose of it and wasting some of the resources it takes to make milk.

From Salon

As you shower and brush your teeth, run your coffeemaker and water your houseplants, you’ll be reusing drops that only recently went down the drain.

From Los Angeles Times

“We spent a million and a half dollars on the park two years ago, and it all went down the drain,” Langer said of one of many attempts over the years to address the decay.

From Los Angeles Times

As social media and search engines dominate the advertising business that once fueled the journalism industry, many California news outlets that have stuck to old business models are watching money go down the drain, Kahn said.

From Los Angeles Times

“You get a positive, you don’t know if that’s from a cow or a bird. Or maybe from milk poured down the drain.”

From Los Angeles Times