Fish rots from the head down

Meaning

The idiom "fish rot from the head down" means that a person or thing is infected or corrupt from the top down, usually due to poor leadership or an unhealthy influence. It is often used to describe a situation where a problem starts at the top and spreads throughout the organization.

Usage

• The CEO's decisions have caused the company to rot from the head down.
• The police department has been plagued with corruption for years, rotting from the head down.
• The government has failed to address the root causes of the crisis, leaving the country to rot from the head down.
• The team's poor performance has led to a lack of morale and motivation, leaving them to rot from the head down.
• The city's infrastructure has been neglected for decades, leading to a deterioration of public services and a general sense of decay, as if the city is rotting from the head down. The usage of the idiom can vary depending on the context. It can be used to describe a situation where corruption or poor leadership is the root cause of a problem, but it can also be used more broadly to describe any kind of negative influence that starts at the top and spreads throughout an organization or community.

Roots and History

The origin of the idiom "fish rots from the head down" is unclear, but it has been in use since at least the 17th century. It may have originally referred to fish that are infected with a virus or bacterium that spreads throughout their bodies, causing them to deteriorate and rot from the head down. Over time, the idiom has taken on a figurative meaning, representing the idea that problems in leadership or organization can spread throughout an entire community or society.

Synonyms in English

• Corrupt from the top down
• Infected from the top down
• Decaying from the top down
• Rotting from the top down
• Unhealthy influence from the top down

Synonyms in other languages

• French: corrompu du haut en bas
• Spanish: corrupto del arribo al baix
• German: korrupt von oben nach unten
• Italian: corrotto dal capo in basso
• Portuguese: corrupção do alto para o baixo

Similar Idioms

• figure out

• heads will roll

• upside down