to hell in a handbasket

Etymology
Images in church iconography suggest similar phrases may date back to 1515. The first attestation is from 1682, the variation is attested since 1841, and a phrase similar to  is first attested in 1618. The popularity of the variation "to hell in a handbasket" may be connected to its alliteration.

Prepositional phrase

 * 1)  To go to a bad state of affairs quickly.