go down like a cup of cold sick

English

Alternative forms

• go down like a cup of sick

Etymology

Refers to sick in the Commonwealth sense of vomit.

Verb

go down like a cup of cold sick (third-person singular simple present goes down like a cup of cold sick, present participle going down like a cup of cold sick, simple past went down like a cup of cold sick, past participle gone down like a cup of cold sick)

1. (slang, UK, Australia, New Zealand) To be received very poorly; to be highly unpopular.
   • 1997, Carol Thatcher, Below the Parapet, page 185:

     Need I tell you that this last analysis went down like a cup of cold sick, waterworks turned on, hanky out, male sex maligned, wailing and gnashing of teeth, all culminating in yours truly agreeing to jump on the first Laker standby to Timbuctoo in search of Prodigal Son.

   • 2006, Neil Mackay, The War on Truth, page 426:

     It wasn't quite the same in Uzbekistan. Washington muttered something about all sides in Uzbekistan showing restraint. This must have gone down like a cup of cold sick with the families of the 750 or so dead in Uzbekistan.

   • 2019, Michelle Duff, Jacinda Ardern: The Story Behind an Extraordinary Leader:

     'It went down like a cup of cold sick,' he said to me, almost gleefully, tapping on his computer keyboard to try to locate a copy of the newsletter.

Synonyms

• go over like a fart in church
• go over like a lead balloon
• sink like a stone