nosedive

English

Etymology

From nose +‎ dive.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnəʊzdaɪv/

Noun

nosedive (plural nosedives)

1. A headfirst fall or jump.
2. (aviation) A drop in altitude with the nose of the craft angled downwards.
3. (economics, etc.) A rapid fall, e.g. in price or value.
   • 2022 April 6, Howard Johnston, “SRA: Lets not make the same mistakes with GBR”, in RAIL, number 954, page 34:

     Byers was frequently at odds with Rail Regulator Sir Tom Winsor, but quit after 11 months - his career took a nosedive when he admitted false claims for £125,000 expenses, and he was banned from the House of Commons for two years.

Translations

a headfirst fall or jump

• Catalan: capbussada (ca) f, capbussó (ca) m, salt (ca) m de cap
• Danish: styrtdyk (da) n
• Finnish: syöksy pää edellä, hyppy pää edellä
• Hungarian: zuhanórepülés (hu), bukórepülés (hu)
• Japanese: 急降下 (ja) (kyūkōka)
• Polish: skok na główkę m
• Spanish: salto (es) m de cabeza
• Swedish: störtdykning (sv) c

aviation: drop in altitude with nose angled downwards

• Finnish: pystysyöksy
• Japanese: 急降下 (ja) (kyūkōka)

a rapid fall in price or value

• Bulgarian: срив m (sriv)
• Catalan: caiguda de preu f, caiguda de valor f
• Danish: styrtdykning n
• Finnish: romahdus (fi)
• Hungarian: mélyrepülés (hu), zuhanás (hu)
• Polish: skoczyć na główkę
• Spanish: desplome de precio m, desplome de valor m
• Swedish: störtdykning (sv) c

Verb

nosedive (third-person singular simple present nosedives, present participle nosediving, simple past nosedived or nosedove, past participle nosedived)

1. (intransitive, of aircraft) To dive down in a steep angle.
2. (intransitive, economy) To perform a rapid fall in price or value.
   • 2020 July 29, Paul Stephen, “A new collaboration centred on New Street”, in Rail, page 56:

     With punctuality nosediving and both overcrowding and cancellations on the rise, a new simplified timetable was introduced in December amid threats from the Mayor that he would ask the Secretary of State for Transport to strip Abellio of the franchise.

Translations

to dive down in a steep angle

• Bulgarian: пикирам (pikiram)
• Catalan: capbussar (ca)
• Danish: styrtdykke
• Finnish: syöksyä pystysyöksyssä
• Japanese: 急降下する (ja) (kyūkōka suru)
• Maori: tapakō
• Spanish: sumergirse (es)
• Swedish: störtdyka (sv)

to perform a rapid fall in price or value

• Bulgarian: сривам (bg) (srivam)
• Catalan: caure's el preu, caure's el valor
• Danish: styrtdykke
• Finnish: romahtaa (fi)
• Hungarian: zuhan (hu)
• Spanish: desplomarse el precio, desplomarse el valor
• Swedish: störtdyka (sv)

See also

• crash dive
• power dive

References

• “nosedive”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.