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tailspin

American  
[teyl-spin] / ˈteɪlˌspɪn /

noun

  1. spin.

  2. a sudden and helpless collapse into failure, confusion, or the like.

verb (used without object)

tailspinned, tailspinning

  1. to take or experience a sudden and dramatic downturn.

    After the mill closes, the local economy may tailspin.
tailspin British  
/ ˈteɪlˌspɪn /

noun

  1. aeronautics another name for spin

  2. informal a state of confusion or panic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
tailspin Idioms  

  1. see go into a tailspin.

Etymology

Origin of tailspin

First recorded in 1910–15; tail 1 + spin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.