graveyard spiral n. originally, an inescapable winding descent of an airplane that leads to a crash; (hence), the rapid decline or devaluation of something, such as a career, a company, etc. Editorial Note: Synonyms are dead man’s spiral and the far...
graveyard spiral n.— «I don’t remember ever hearing of a single crash due to an accidental, recoverable spin. Pilots get killed in graveyard spirals…but they aren’t spins, and the root cause is not the airplane.» —“Re: American...
graveyard spiral n.— «Smokey, a goofball, silly but friendly car-chase comedy, became a runaway hit and locked Reynolds into a series of road-race films that put his film career into a graveyard spiral.» —“Affable Reynolds stays...
graveyard spiral n.— «You’re talking here about the possibility of a graveyard spiral: increasing rates forcing reductions in purchases.…If the commission today freed the company to go forward with the Midland project, it may have...
steady ticket n.— «I land a job by taking the place of a man who works what is called “a steady ticket.” These are temporary jobs that are regularly offered through the agency. The fact that the “steady ticket” is...
graveyard star
n.— «Graveyard star. Milk toast.» —“Lumber Industry Slang and Jargon” in Maine, Iowa, Mich., Wisc., Ore., Mont., Ark., Wy. Lexicon of Trade Jargon , 1938-39. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
