> as lemmas

1607 T. Tomkis Lingua v. vii. sig. K4^v Follow the beaten path thou canst not misse it Tis a wide Causie that conducteth thether, An easie tract and downe hill all the way.

1686 H. Higden Mod. Ess. 13th Satyr Juvenal 51 Hell is down-hill all the way.

1703 P. Motteux et al. tr. M. de Cervantes Hist. Don Quixote III. vi. 59 The way of Vice..is a broad Road indeed, and down-hill all the way, but Death and Contempt are always met at the end of the Journey.

1878 Decatur (Illinois) Daily Rev. 13 Dec. We've been traveling the same road, it seems, all the while—the road to ruin, I mean; an easy journey, downhill all the way.

1910 Washington Post 30 Oct. 5/3 The jungle..was only a mile from hell in any direction, and down hill all the way.

2012 H. Mantel Bring up Bodies (2015) i. ii. 41 The road between England and Hell is worn bare from treading feet, and runs downhill all the way.

1894 Trewman's Exeter Flying Post 28 June 5/7 From oligarchy to anarchy the road has been down hill all the way.

1942 Mason City (Iowa) Globe-Gaz. 18 June 7/1 We seem to have caught up with the Japanese after their first advantage... From now on its downhill all the way for Japan.

1988 N. McFather Entangled xix. 378 Take it from one who knows. Once you step down from that pedestal for a man, it's downhill all the way.

2001 A. Dalton Midnight Museum i. 11 Joe's first day at his new school also turned out to be his best. After that it was downhill all the way.

1938 H. Dalton in Hansard Commons 3 Oct. 140 It will be downhill all the way in his [sc. Hitler's] march to the domination of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe... Mittel Europa is in fact accomplished.

1980 Newsweek (Nexis) 21 July 48 Reagan in fact agreed to run in part on the assurance that, after New Hampshire, it would be downhill all the way.

1995 J. S. Hill Last Castrato i. 40 The first step had been the hardest. After that, it was downhill all the way.