Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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verb
To go awry; to go wrong.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, especially, idiomatic, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: go downhill, go down the toilet, go Pete Tong, go sideways, go to pot, go to shit, go to the dogs, turn pear-shaped
Antonyms: prosper, do well, do well for oneself, gain, grow, thrive, flourish, succeed
History
Uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * From the image of a solid rectangle “slipping down” into a pear shape, thus “the bottom drops out”. ** Similar thoughts about the work of either glassblowers or potters involve a theme of the work trending toward a sagging shape; such speculations may be only folk etymology. * From the image of a balloon or football losing its spherical shape after being punctured. * From an idea that people who shoulder the work — who have the responsibility on their shoulders — may descend into shirking, in which case their broad shoulders diminish as their body becomes pear-shaped. Apparently the term was originally Royal Air Force slang, but came into common use by the 1990s.
Across languages
19 source translations are retained for this English entry.
