Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“I think the state of reality TV is going down the tubes.”
- Model and reality TV star Kimora Lee Simmons. (BET)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
turn bad, lose quality, be destroyed
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
When something goes down the tubes, it fails, turns bad, or disappears. If your plans go down the tubes, they don’t turn out the way you want. If a couple’s relationship goes down the tubes, it means the couple breaks up. And if reality TV goes down the tubes? It becomes boring, stupid, or just plain bad.
Some might argue that reality TV was never out of the tubes. That is, it has always been bad. But Kimora Lee Simmons, a fashion model who has appeared on reality TV herself in the past, thinks it’s only now starting to go down the tubes.
Can you guess where the expression go down the tubes comes from? It’s similar to go down the drain. If something literally goes down the tubes, it gets flushed or washed away. It travels through metal tubes, or pipes, with other bad stuff that nobody wants anymore.
Do you think television has gone down the tubes lately? What else is going down the tubes?
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“The NBA star’s career went down the tubes after he injured his knees.”
“I hope my grades don’t go down the tubes this semester.”
“Let’s stop fighting. I don’t want our friendship to go down the tubes.”