down the tube(s)

Meaning of the phrase:

Origin of the phrase:

This expression alludes to water going down a drain pipe and being carried off. Used metaphorically, this term can be used to say that something has failed or been ruined, or that something has been lost or wasted, as if it has gone down the tubes. This Americanism was used by shot put champion Parry O’Brien in an interview regarding a world record he had just broken; printed in the Charleston Daily Mail, May 1954:

“Yes, that gave me another incentive. I was proud of that record. Then I had visions of all my records going down the tubes.”

All early citations come from Unites States sports. Now, the expression is used to refer to anything that can be lost, ruined, or fails.  The term likely derives from the earlier “down the drain” which appears in 1920 and is similar in meaning to “down the toilet” and “down the pan.”