bottom falls out

Phrase

bottom falls out

1. Something fails, collapses, or enters a state of disarray.
   • Dear Brother, I cannot tell what is become of my labours among that people: If all that my Lord builded by me be caſten down, & the bottom fallen out of the profeſſion of that parish, […] how can I bear it?1664, Samuel Rutherford, Joshua redivivus, or, Mr. Rutherfoord's letters […] , [Rotterdam?], page 243
   • With the ten thousand dollars, I hired an office, printed circulars, distributed glowing accounts of imaginary wealth, etc. It cost considerable^([sic]) for advertising, but I sold seventy thousand shares, and when I had gathered in the money I let the bottom fall out.1889, Horatio Alger Jr., Luke Walton, or The Chicago Newsboy, Philadelphia: John C. Winston Co., page 132

   Synonyms:

   bottom drops out

2. It is raining heavily, as (or as if) the clouds are dumping all their moisture.
   • To start with, it rained every day as if the bottom would fall out. When morning came the sky would be clear, but around noon it would start raining and rain until midnight.1928, Locomotive Engineers Journal, volume 62, page 603
   • […] As it started to rain, we stopped and put on raincoats, before the bottom fell out, as is often the case in this locality.1936, Field and Stream, volume 41, page 39