Pass with flying colors

[1306] Dead in the water

🎲 Go belly up
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • Failed, stalled, or stopped completely, with no chance of success or revival.

Origin

  • A nautical term.
  • A sailing ship that has lost all wind is dead in the water it cannot move or be steered.
  • Metaphorically, it means a project, plan, or situation has lost all momentum and is unlikely to proceed.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Finished
  • Doomed
  • Kaput (Informal)
  • A lost cause
  • Up the creek (without a paddle) (Implies a difficult situation with no easy solution)
  • Stalled

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • Screwed
  • Toast
  • Done for
  • Finito (From Italian/Spanish, meaning 'finished')

Vulgar/Emphatic:

  • Fucked
  • Up shit creek (without a paddle)

Milder:

  • Stalled indefinitely
  • No longer viable
  • Halted

Situational Appropriateness

  • Informal to semi-formal.
  • Acceptable in most business contexts when discussing failed projects or plans.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • Less likely to be misunderstood literally than some idioms, as the context usually makes the metaphorical meaning clear.
  • Ensure the listener understands it means *complete* stoppage with little hope, not just a temporary pause.

Examples

  • Without new funding, the whole project is dead in the water.
  • Their proposal was dead in the water as soon as the CEO saw the cost.
  • After the main sponsor pulled out, the event was dead in the water.

Dialogue

Sarah: How's the merger negotiation going?

Ben: It's dead in the water, unfortunately. They rejected our final offer.

Sarah: Really? So it's completely off?

Ben: Looks that way. We're back to square one.

Social Media Examples

  • Tweet: Looks like that legislative bill is dead in the water after the latest vote. Back to the drawing board. #politics #fail
  • Forum Post: My startup idea is pretty much dead in the water without more investment. Anyone have advice? #entrepreneur #funding
  • Facebook Update: Well, our plans for the big outdoor festival are dead in the water thanks to this constant rain. So disappointed!

Response Patterns

  • Oh no, really?
  • That's a shame.
  • So what happens now?
  • Is there absolutely no way to save it?
  • I feared that might happen.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After hearing something is dead in the water:

  • Ask Why? or What happened?
  • Ask What are the next steps? or Is there a plan B?
  • Express sympathy or disappointment.
  • Discuss the implications of the failure.

Conversation Starter

  • No. Usually used to report the status of something already known or discussed.

Intonation

  • Stress often falls on Dead and water.
  • The tone is usually flat or slightly falling, indicating finality or resignation. DEAD in the WATER.

Generation Differences

  • Understood and used by most adult generations.

Regional Variations

  • Widely understood across major English-speaking regions (US, UK, Aus, Can).
Pass with flying colors
🎲 Go belly up