Crossword Dictionary

ALL WASHED UP

all washed up - adj
If you say that someone is washed up, you mean that their career or success has ended.

collinsdictionary

Synonyms

belly up, burned out, cooked, dead, destroyed, done for, down and out, down for the count, down the drain, down the tubes, finished, floored, had it, nonfunctioning, on the skids, out of business, out of circulation, sunk, totaled, washed up, wiped-out

thesaurus

Examples

It's very common to see washed-up actors trying to become directors later in their careers.

If you want to hear washed-up singers, go to your local community fair grounds where they often perform at local events.

Many child actors' careers are washed up by the time they reach 18 and then they simply go on to attend college with their peers.

oysterenglish

Etymology

The idiom washed up or all washed up came into use in the 1920s and seems to have started as a theatrical term. Originally, washed up or all washed up simply meant that the person in question had finished performing and had washed the stage makeup off his face. In time, washed up or all washed up came to mean that someone was finished for all time, that his career was ruined and that the he would never perform again.

grammarist