A sign that something bad is going to happen; a warning of danger or trouble.

This idiom originated in the Old Testament of the Bible. The King of Babylonia had a vision in which he saw a

mysterious message written on the palace wall, "Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin." Daniel was sent for to explain

the meaning of the strange words. When he arrived he told the king that it was a warning that his kingdom would be conquered. In time the prophesy came true. Today we say that you can read or see the "handwriting

on the wall" when you can see signs that misfortune is coming.

As his company began downsizing, Joe could see the handwriting on the wall.

(From the "Dictionary of Idioms," Marvin Terban, Scholastic Inc., publisher, 1996)