- a disaster waiting to happen
- used for saying that a situation is likely to develop in a very bad way
The nuclear power station was an environmental disaster waiting to happen.
English dictionary. 2014.
a disaster waiting to happen
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(a) disaster waiting to happen — a disaster waiting to happen phrase used for saying that a situation is likely to develop in a very bad way The nuclear power station was an environmental disaster waiting to happen. Thesaurus: dangerous or exciting situationssynonym Main entry:… … Useful english dictionary
(an) accident disaster waiting to happen — an ˌaccident/a diˌsaster waiting to ˈhappen idiom a thing or person that is very likely to cause danger or a problem in the future because of the condition it is in or the way they behave Main entry: ↑waitidiom … Useful english dictionary
(an) a disaster waiting to happen — an ˌaccident/a diˌsaster waiting to ˈhappen idiom a thing or person that is very likely to cause danger or a problem in the future because of the condition it is in or the way they behave Main entry: ↑waitidiom … Useful english dictionary
accident waiting to happen — If something is an accident waiting to happen, there s definitely going to be an accident or it s bound to go wrong. ( Disaster waiting to happen is also used.) … The small dictionary of idiomes
accident waiting to happen — If something is an accident waiting to happen, there s definitely going to be an accident or it s bound to go wrong. ( Disaster waiting to happen is also used.) (Dorking School Dictionary) … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
disaster — noun 1 bad event/situation ADJECTIVE ▪ awful, big, catastrophic, devastating, enormous (esp. AmE), great, horrible, huge, large scale (esp. AmE) … Collocations dictionary
disaster — dis|as|ter [ dı zæstər ] noun count or uncount ** something very bad that happens and causes a lot of damage or kills a lot of people: A series of disasters forced the company to close down. a natural disaster: Protect your property from natural… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
disaster — di|sas|ter W3S2 [dıˈza:stə US dıˈzæstər] n [U and C] [Date: 1500 1600; : French; Origin: désastre, from Italian disastro, from astro star (from the idea of luck coming from the stars)] 1.) a sudden event such as a flood, storm, or accident which… … Dictionary of contemporary English
disaster */*/ — UK [dɪˈzɑːstə(r)] / US [dɪˈzæstər] noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms disaster : singular disaster plural disasters 1) something very bad that happens and causes a lot of damage or kills a lot of people A series of disasters forced the… … English dictionary
disaster — [[t]dɪzɑ͟ːstə(r), zæ̱s [/t]] ♦♦♦ disasters 1) N COUNT A disaster is a very bad accident such as an earthquake or a plane crash, especially one in which a lot of people are killed. It was the second air disaster in the region in less than two… … English dictionary
