Going to
hell in a handbasket is defined as a situation, a place, or a person, or an object headed for disaster inescapably and/or precipitately. When used to describe an object or a house, it means that the object or house is becoming derelict, dangerous to live in, a hazard, and incredibly damaged, or already is.
Synonyms "going to hell in a handcart", "going to hell in a handbag", "go to hell in a bucket", "sending something to
hell in a handbasket" and "something being like
hell in a handbasket".
Example 1
Person 1: That hoarder house went to hell in a handbasket after that tree branch collapsed the roof.
Person 2: The owner still hasn't repaired the roof.
Example 2
To individuals observing the
United States of America from outside of the
United States of America during the last 5 years, it looks like the
United States of America is going to hell in a handbasket.