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I've found this turn of speech here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=429146.msg4691806#msg4691806

which I'm sure is quite alarming and effective to the average ignorant pleb who is then happy to shell out £100 on a subscription if it means he now has the secrets to hold onto his money when the economy goes arse over tit.

What does it mean "goes arse over tit." ?

Anomalous Awe
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According to Wiktionary, arse over tit means,

(Australia, New Zealand, UK, idiomatic, vulgar) Tumbling; falling; upside-down; unstable or unbalanced.
I missed the step and went arse over tit.

When the economy went that way, it means that it's unstable, tumbling down. It means everything about the economy went wrong.

Another similar phrase, but more common (to me) and less vulgar, is the economy is tumbling down.

Some other similar expressions (but might be used differently, see J.R.'s comment below) are head over heels, base over apex, and topsy-turvy.

Damkerng T.
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  • Is it verbatim means: "Goes to the asshole through chest"? – Anomalous Awe Jan 26 '14 at 16:11
  • I wouldn't think so. I think the example I missed the step and went ... gives you a better picture. – Damkerng T. Jan 26 '14 at 16:29
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    It means ass (not asshole) went over breast (breast can mean chest generally, but tit is slang for a woman's breast). Basically, the bottom of your body is going over your top, as if you are rolling over yourself. It means the same as "head over heels", in which your feet go over your head. – nxx Jan 26 '14 at 16:39
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    A similar expression is "tits up", which has similar connotations and would be fine for OP's example. "It's all well and good till the economy goes tits up". – JMB Jan 26 '14 at 16:59
  • @DamkerngT. - Except head over heels usually implies something more emotional and positive: She fell head-over-heels in love with him. It may be less vulgar, but I wouldn't say, "...when the economy goes head over heels" – not when I mean that it's crashing. – J.R. Jan 26 '14 at 17:26
  • @J.R. How about it is tumbling down or it goes topsy-turvy? – Damkerng T. Jan 26 '14 at 17:29
  • Tumbling down would be a good way to describe the same meaning with less vulgar wording. – J.R. Jan 26 '14 at 17:30
  • @Damkerng T, I missed the step and went . i.e. Economy missed the tit and goes to the ass. Is this turn of speach near the food field? Why there is a tit, half of woman's breast? And arse is a light version of asshole. Why is this turn of speech on the woman's side? – Anomalous Awe Jan 26 '14 at 18:50
  • The expression doesn't mean that the economy missed the tit and goes to the ass. Here is a picture of a kid doing a tumbling. As one of the learners, it's usually unfruitful to dissect idioms literally, or pursue its origin. So though I know that arse usually means just ass, not a hole, I couldn't explain why it's just tit (not a tit), or why it has to based on female organs. Just as we couldn't tell why it's a thumbs up. – Damkerng T. Jan 26 '14 at 19:07
  • @AnomalousAwe - "arse over tit" simply means that your buttocks are over – that is, physically higher than – your chest as you tumble. This person could be said to be "arse over tit," because their butt is up in the air. This person is slipping & falling, too, but not "arse over tit," because their butt is still lower than their chest. The expression is a way of emphasizing the degree of the tumble. – J.R. Jan 27 '14 at 10:16
  • It's just a coarser way of saying head over heels. – starsplusplus Jan 27 '14 at 10:32
  • @AnomalousAwe arse is the British spelling/pronouciation of ass. It means your backside/bum/bottom. It's different to arsehole (or asshole) which means your anus. – starsplusplus Jan 27 '14 at 10:34
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    I've also heard "Ass over teakettle"; same idea-the image of a person tumbling. I would say that "tit's up" is different, that that implies a dead person lying on her back. – swbarnes2 Jan 27 '14 at 18:15