Deterioration: English Vocabulary List

to intensify a disagreement or argument

"Add fuel to fire."

"By insulting his opponent during the debate the politician added fuel to the fire and made the argument worse."

to worsen a bad situation by doing or saying something hurtful or disrespectful, in addition to the harm that has already been caused

"Add insult to injury."

"He was late for the meeting and to add insult to injury he forgot to bring the important documents."

to worsen a bad, unpleasant, or dangerous situation for someone or something

"Fan the flames."

"The politician's controversial speech served to fan the flames of an already heated public debate."

to rapidly and irreversibly deteriorate or decline in a manner that is likely to result in a bad outcome or failure

"The country is going to hell in a handbasket."

"The country economy is going to hell in a handbasket under the new government poor policies."

to deteriorate or decline significantly

"This neighborhood is going to the dogs."

"This neighbourhood has gone to the dogs since the factory closed and many people moved away."

to be in a very poor condition, particularly compared to the past

"My car has seen better days."

"This antique furniture has clearly seen better days and is in desperate need of restoration."

to unintentionally do something that harms oneself or one's own interests

"He shot himself in the foot yesterday."

"By lying during the interview, she shot herself in the foot and lost the job opportunity."

a situation in which one gets affected by two unpleasant or unfortunate events that happen at once

"Rain and wind: a double whammy."

"Losing my job and then getting sick was a real double whammy that made things incredibly difficult."

in a very poor condition or near the end of their lifespan or usefulness

"The car is on its last legs."

"This ancient printer is on its last legs and will probably break down any day now."

very likely to be defeated or completely fail

"The team is on the ropes."

"The boxer was on the ropes and about to be knocked out when the bell rang to end the round."

used when one moves from a bad situation into a worse one

"I jumped out of the frying pan into the fire."

"He left his stressful job and started a new one that was even worse out of the frying pan into the fire."

used to indicate that a situation is about to become tense, difficult, or critical

"Things were calm until the balloon went up during the press conference."

"The announcement triggered immediate panic in the markets — that was the moment the balloon went up."

to suddenly and completely stop, often in a dramatic or unexpected manner, implying a sense of frustration, disappointment, or failure

"The project came to a grinding halt."

"Traffic came to a grinding halt on the motorway due to a serious accident involving several vehicles."

to slowly come to a complete stop after gradually losing speed or power

"The old car ground to a halt."

"The old machinery ground to a halt after years of use without proper maintenance or repairs."

to become ruined or destroyed, often due to a person's own actions or neglect

"His business went to the Devil."

"If he continues to ignore all advice, his entire enterprise is likely to go to the Devil."

used to describe someone who is really tired after an exhaustive physical activity

"He looked worse for wear."

"After hiking for ten hours straight, the entire group was looking decidedly worse for wear."

to slowly come to a complete stop after gradually losing speed or power

"The train will grind to a halt."

"The severe economic downturn caused the once-thriving factory to grind to a halt after months of declining production."