DEFEAT
Frustrate Thwart
His last state is worse than his first
He is waiting for an excuse to climb down gracefully
Out of the frying-pan into the fire
It made serious inroads upon the——
His plans suffered an eclipse
From bad to worse
The plot thickens
It cost the pangs of keenest misery
They have been adversely affected by it
A sort of dehumanizing effect
An adept in getting into hot water
An omen of evil significance
We nipped it in the bud