handbasket

[ hand-bas-kit, -bah-skit ]

noun

1. a small basket with a handle for carrying by hand.

Word History and Origins

Origin of handbasket¹

First recorded in 1485–95; hand + basket

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. go to hell in a handbasket, to degenerate quickly and decisively:

   The economy has gone to hell in a handbasket.

Example Sentences

“Without him, America has gone to hell in a handbasket,” Nguyen said.

From Los Angeles Times

But mostly he whined about how stupid all the other leaders are and complained about how the country has gone to hell in a handbasket while promising to make America great again.

From Salon

"I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out," he contended.

From Salon

“Givers of Death” belongs to a fascinating subgenre: The world has gone to hell in a handbasket, so what do you hold on to?

From New York Times

Moulton said that the American effort in Afghanistan “didn’t go to hell in a handbasket with the withdrawal” and that the country does not need a “narrow investigation focused on just President Biden.”

From Washington Post