ate it
Went down badly
Ate it means fell hard or failed spectacularly.
The phrase usually describes a physical wipeout—a skateboarder who ate it on the half-pipe—but extends to any dramatic failure: I thought I'd ace the interview but totally ate it.
The image is of someone going down face-first, eating pavement or dirt.
- faceplantFall forward onto face
- bombedFailed spectacularly, utterly
- noshCasual small meal
- chowed downAte eagerly and quickly
- consumedFully used or eaten
munched · devour · gobbled · pigged out · crash and burn · went down · swallowed · wipeout · tanked · bite the dust · bailed · pratfall · mess up · bite · hit the deck · screw up · fall flat · flopped