Go bust
Meaning
To suffer complete financial failure, often leading to the closure of a business.
Origin
The phrase "go bust" draws its vivid imagery from the thrilling, high-stakes world of card games, most notably blackjack. Imagine a player, on the edge of victory, drawing one card too many, their hand instantly ruined, their bet lost—they've gone "bust." This dramatic, irreversible defeat, where one's luck runs out completely, transferred effortlessly from the gambling table to the boardroom. By the early 20th century, if a business found itself in an insurmountable financial predicament, its money exhausted, its operations impossible to sustain, it too was said to have gone bust, mirroring the gambler's sudden, devastating loss.
Examples
- After several quarters of declining sales, the once-thriving retail chain was forced to go bust.
- Many small businesses struggled during the recession and unfortunately had to go bust.