📉 Go to Hell in a Handbasket: The Rapid Road to Ruin 🧺
go to hell in a handbasket, to - To deteriorate rapidly. This expression, originating in America in the early twentieth century, owes its appeal to alliteration. It also makes sense: something carried in a handbasket is light and easily conveyed, hence the phrase can mean going to ruin easily and rapidly. However, more likely it is simply an alliterative elaboration of gone to hell, which has meant ruined or destroyed since the early nineteenth century. The cliché tends to be applied to large generalities, as in “The economy is about to go to hell in a handbasket.”
👿 Similar Expressions
- Go to the devil: Take a turn for the worse.
- Go to the dogs: Suffer neglect or deterioration.
Synonyms
- Deteriorate
- Decline
- Falter
- Plummet
- Collapse
Antonyms
- Progress
- Thrive
- Flourish
- Prosper
- Improve
Chuckle-Worthy Quotes 🤣
- “If my day gets any worse, it’s going to hell in a handbasket…with express shipping.”
- “When life starts going to hell in a handbasket, just remember, at least you didn’t choose the rocket.”
Proverbs & Common Phrases 💬
- “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it sure went to hell in a handbasket quickly.”
- “A stitch in time saves nine from going to hell in a handbasket.”
Lit, Flicks, and Songs 📚🎥🎵
- Literature:
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - Nothing spirals into chaos quite like Yossarian’s experiences.
- Film:
- The Big Short - The perfect cinematic journey of the economy going to hell in a handbasket.
- Music:
- We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel - A rapid-fire recounting of culture fires burning out of control.
- Poetry:
- “The Second Coming” by W.B. Yeats - A civilization teetering on the edge of disaster.
Quizzes with Explanations 🧠
Author’s Note: We often face moments that seem like things are going swiftly to hell in a handbasket. But take a deep breath, find a happy idiom (every cloud has a silver lining?), and let’s make things brighter one humorous expression at a time!
Lexi Chatville invites you on a perpetual journey into the world of engaging idioms and phrases. Stay witty and inquisitive, dear readers!
