blow up in one's face
Scheme goes wrong
When something blows up in one's face, it fails disastrously and unexpectedly, often harming the person who initiated it.
The image is of an explosive or weapon detonating prematurely: His scheme to frame his rival blew up in his face when the evidence pointed back to him.
The phrase emphasizes ironic reversal—a plan backfires on its author.
- backfireYield unintended consequences
- misfireFailure to discharge
- come back to hauntPast mistakes resurface painfully
- miscalculationError in estimation
- best laid plansThorough preparations that fail
collapse · house of cards · damage · come to grief · crash and burn · go pear-shaped · fiasco · frustration · embarrassment · overconfidence · implosion · come undone · loss · rashness · hit a snag · boomerang · go south · disaster
blow up in one's facepay off
Discharge a debt
work out · succeed · pan out · come off · bear fruit
blow up in one's facefizzle out
Fail after promising start
peter out · fall flat · fade away · sputter out · die on the vine