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Region: General | Usage example: The declining sales were the write on the wall for the product.

Write on the wall

Meaning

A visible sign that something is about to fail.

Usage

Used when evidence of trouble is apparent.

Origin & History

Origin notes can vary by region and source; this page gives the commonly reported explanation and usage context.

Biblical story of mysterious writing predicting doom.

Fetched into modern speech as a warning after the Biblical tale.