the meaning of "deteriorating"

[kjc0123]

What is the meaning of "deteriorating" in the following sentences?

He suddenly wished he had not decided to run. You didn't, he reminded himself. Sophie had made the decision for him when she threw the GPS dot out the bathroom window. Now, as they sped away from the embassy, serpentining through sparse traffic on Champs-Elysees, Langdon felt his options deteriorating. Although Sophie seemed to have lost the police, at least for the moment, Langdon doubted their luck would hold for long.

[Quizmonster]

To deteriorate simply means to become worse and options are the different possibilities that might happen. Clearly, Langdon's choices are becoming fewer and not as good as they had been earlier.

[Clanad]

I wonder if Quizmonster might agree that the use of deteriorating as the verb in this phrase may not have been the best descriptive choice.  As QM indicates, the word means to become worse; to worsen in quality; weathered, decaying... when in actuality, I think the novelist probably meant to convey the thought "Langdon felt his options were becoming fewer", i.e., less in number.  Small point, granted, but an interesting quirk in the language we call English...

[Quizmonster]

I probably would not have chosen 'deteriorating' myself, Clanad, but I think I covered both conceivable interpretations when I said (a) becoming fewer and (b) that they were not as good as they had been. Things have got worse as to quantity and quality, so 'deteriorating' isn't too bad.

[jno]

Classic example of Dan Brown's crap use of English, if you ask me: Clanad is dead right. The man has a tin ear for words (though he tells a good story).