student asking question

What's "nosedive" mean? And is it usually used as it's used here "take a nosedive into?"

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

More literally, a "nosedive" is when a plane plunges downward by its "nose!" Here it means to deteriorate dramatically! To "take a nosedive" is a common phrase! If something "takes a nosedive," it means it quickly gets worse. Here, "into" indicates what the nosedive consists of or is going toward. Ex: The concert took a nosedive into chaos when one of the singers collapsed on stage from dehydration. Ex: Let's hope the cafe doesn't take a nosedive when that new cafe opens across the street.

Popular Q&As

11/13

Complete the expression with a quiz!