the wheels [fall off|come off]
1
used to refer to something that was working or progressing well but suddenly stopped functioning or fell apart
The origin of the idiom "the wheels fall off" is related to the malfunction of a car or other vehicle, where if a wheel becomes loose or falls off, the vehicle will quickly become immobile and unable to function as intended. Over time, the phrase has come to be used more generally to describe any situation where a plan, project, or situation that was previously successful suddenly fails or falls apart completely.
- The company's financial situation was looking stable, but when a major investor pulled out, the wheels came off and the company went bankrupt.
- The plan to restructure the organization was proceeding smoothly until a key manager quit, causing the wheels to fall off the whole project.
- The politician's campaign was going well until a scandal broke out, causing the wheels to come off and her popularity to plummet.
- The team was leading the game, but when their star player was injured, the wheels fell off and they lost by a large margin.