Resulting in Failure: English Vocabulary List

‌a weakness in someone's character or argument that can be used against them

"His bad temper is a chink in his armor."

"His lack of patience is the only chink in his armor otherwise he would be the perfect manager."

a point of weakness or vulnerability

"Pride is his Achilles' heel."

"Despite his many strengths, his inability to delegate tasks proved to be his Achilles' heel in management."

to do something that will lead to one's own failure

"By lying, you dig your own grave."

"By lying to his boss he dug his own grave and was fired when the truth came out later."

to do something that causes one serious trouble or harm

"You are cutting your own throat."

"If you refuse to adapt to new technology you are cutting your own throat in this competitive job market."

used to convey that a person is causing harm to themselves through their own actions, choices, or behavior

"He is his own worst enemy."

"She is her own worst enemy because she never listens to good advice from others."

to behave in a way that damages or undermines one's own reputation or success

"He fouled his own nest badly."

"By lying to his boss, he really fouled his own nest and lost his job."

to destroy something that could bring one a lot of money or great success, particularly because of greed

"Don't kill the golden goose."

"If you raise prices too much, you'll kill the goose that lays the golden egg."

the last event, action, or circumstance that causes something to fail or end

"That mistake was the final nail."

"The poor sales figures were the final nail in the coffin for the struggling retail chain that closed shortly afterwards."

(of a difficult or challenging situation) to overwhelm someone and cause them stress, anxiety, or other negative emotions

"The stress is getting on top of me."

"The stress of the new job finally got on top of her and she had to take a week off work to recover."

to become satisfied with one's past achievements and to stop making efforts to improve or progress

"Do not rest on your laurels."

"After winning the championship the team rested on their laurels and lost the following season to a weaker opponent."

in an uncertain or unstable situation that is likely to fail or collapse

"Our plan is on shaky ground."

"His argument is on shaky ground because he does not have any real evidence to support his claims."

to stop or put an end to something abruptly or decisively

"They knocked it on the head."

"The committee decided to knock the project on the head before wasting more money."

to lose momentum, energy, or enthusiasm for something, especially a task or project

"The project lost steam."

"After the initial excitement wore off, the fundraising campaign began to lose steam and struggled to meet its goals."

an event or action that results in the failure of something, particularly an organization

"His support was the kiss of death."

"The endorsement from that controversial celebrity turned out to be the kiss of death for the product."

to experience a significant loss, failure, or setback in a particular situation

"Our team took a beating yesterday."

"The company's stock took a beating after the disappointing earnings report was released to the public."

in a state of disadvantage, difficulty, or vulnerability

"He is on the run."

"After the scandal broke, the disgraced politician found himself on the run from the media and public scrutiny."

to experience a significant loss, failure, or setback in a particular situation

"We took a beating."

"The company's stock price took a beating after the unexpected announcement of major financial losses."