Snowball effect
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For other uses, see Snowball (disambiguation).
Snowball effect is a figurative term for a process that starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon itself, becoming larger (graver, more serious), and perhaps potentially dangerous or disastrous (a vicious circle, a "spiral of decline"), though it might be beneficial instead (a virtuous circle).
The common analogy is with the rolling of a small ball of snow down a snow-covered hillside, as it rolls the ball will pick up more snow, gaining more mass and surface area, and picking up even more snow as it rolls along. This is a very common cliché in cartoons.
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