worst comes to worst

English

Alternative forms

• the worst comes to the worst (especially UK English), worse comes to worst, bad comes to worst, bad comes to worse, considered incorrect by some: worse comes to worse

Etymology

Originally in the form "if the worst come to the worst" with the subjunctive "if it come to" in the sense of "if the worst possible outcome should become the worst possible reality". Often used even today with the same two definite articles, and this is the only form recorded for British English in some dictionaries.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Adverb

worst comes to worst (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) If a possible worst-case scenario actually occurs.
   • 2010, Cherie Priest, Dreadnought: A Novel of the Clockwork Century:

     “Worst comes to worst, we'll make it to Cleveland and we can set down there and wait things out.” Gordon Rand nearly sneered, “Worst comes to worst? We'll crash and die, isn't that closer to the worst end of the possibility spectrum?

   • 2014, Eric Drouant, Fatal:

     You aren't doing anything anyway. Worst comes to worst you can give her some money and send her on her way.

   • 2015, James Abel, White Plague:

     Worst comes to worst ...” Eddie finished it. “Worst comes to worst, we try Dr. One's patented homemade miracle vaccine. Stops hair loss. Stops gout. Builds muscles. Kills flus.”

   • 2018, Clare London, With A Kick Collection 2:

     Worst comes to worst, Curtis says I can use his room.

   • 2017, Crista Crown, Harper B. Cole, The Outcast Chronicles Bundle:

     You said a couple of them are predators? Well, worst comes to worst, they can shift and eat.

Usage notes

The expression is sometimes used in the simple past or past perfect or the conditional or past conditional and is often preceded by one of these or another term: if, when, had, let, lest, etc.

Coordinate terms

• push comes to shove

Translations

if a bad situation develops

• Bashkir: һис юғында (his yuğında)
• Belarusian: на благі канец (na blahi kanjec)
• Catalan: en el pitjor dels casos (literally “in the worst of the cases”), si passa el pitjor (literally “if the worst happens”)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 大不了 (zh) (dàbùliǎo)

• Dutch: in het ergste geval
• Esperanto: en la plej malbona okazo (literally “in the worst case”)
• Estonian: kõige hullemal juhul
• Finnish: pahimmassa tapauksessa
• French: si le pire devait arriver, dans le pire des cas (literally “in the worst of the cases”)
• German: wenn alle Stricke reißen (de) (literally “if all ropes snap”); wenn es zum Schlimmsten kommt (literally “if it comes to the worst”); wenn es zum Äußersten kommt (literally “if it comes to the outmost”); schlimmstenfalls (de)
• Greek: σε ἐσχατη ἀνάγκη (se eskhatē anánkē)
• Hungarian: a legrosszabb esetben, ha minden kötél szakad
• Ingush: ца хулча даьлча (ca xulča dälča)
• Italian: nel peggiore dei casi, alle brutte, ^{(please verify)} di male in peggio
• Japanese: 最悪の場合 (さいあくのばあい, saiaku no baai)
• Latvian: ļaunākajā gadījumā
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: i verste fall

  Nynorsk: i verste fall

• Polish: w najgorszym razie (pl), w najgorszym wypadku (pl)
• Portuguese: na pior das hipóteses (literally “in the worst of the hypotheses”)
• Romansch: en il mender cas, a la pira
• Russian: на худо́й коне́ц (ru) (na xudój konéc), в ху́дшем слу́чае (v xúdšem slúčaje)
• Slovak: v najhoršom prípade
• Spanish: en el peor de los casos (literally “in the worst of the cases”)
• Swedish: i värsta fall
• Tatar: һич югында (hiç yugında)
• Turkish: en kötü ihtimalle; daha kötüsü olursa, çok gerekli olursa
• Ukrainian: в кра́йньому разі (v krájnʹomu razi), на худи́й кіне́ць (na xudýj kinécʹ), в найгі́ршому випа́дку (v najhíršomu vypádku)