A: Did the big boss actually fire your director?

B: Yes. Our company’s profits were falling, so a new director was appointed to stop the rot. But I doubt if the new guy can save the day.

Note: “Rot” refers to “the natural process of decaying, or the part of something that has decayed,” and is a metaphor for “ a state in which something becomes bad or does not work as well as it should.” In British usage, “to stop the rot” means “to stop something from getting worse, especially in politics or business.” For example: We don’t have time to figure out a long-term solution. For now, we just have to stop the rot.